Prisoner of War
by Peachuzoid
Summary: The task of infiltrating Woodbury doesn't go as planned as Daryl is captured and held prisoner by the Governor. Rated T for language, abuse, violence. UPDATE: Meant to be a one-shot, but decided to continue. The sequel "Promises" is up and a WIP.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of The Walking Dead or its characters. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**NOTE:** I am impatiently waiting for February for new episodes and I figured, why not make a little one shot out of the mid season finale. I'm beginning to think that maybe I should just stick to one shots all together. Reviews are much appreciated. Xoxo

UPDATE: This is no longer a one-shot. Obviously... Haha. :) Decided to try and continue it.

* * *

The sound of gunfire filled the air as the smoke was beginning to clear out. They were almost out of Woodbury, only a quick jog to the wall, up and over and they'd be out to safety. Or at least safer once they would be over the wall and out of sight.

Maggie ducked around the corner and shot off a few rounds. The five of them were huddled into a small doorway up against the walls for cover. Rick, Oscar, and Daryl checked their ammo situation as Maggie pulled back into the little nook.

"I'm running low. We're almost out, we'll just have to make a run for it," Maggie confessed. "We can't just stay here and keep firing at shadows."

"I agree. We've got another smoke bomb. It'll help cover us," Rick reloaded his M4A1, placing a few more rounds in the clip from out of his pocket.

Daryl glanced over at Glenn. He could tell he wasn't fairing too well, bloody and bruised propped up with his back against the wall. Daryl wished he could say it surprised him to hear that his brother had done this to Glenn. Honestly, the only thing that surprised him was the fact that Merle was here in Woodbury. It wasn't that he thought Merle was dead so to speak, he just didn't think he'd ever see him again. The bastard…

"I got more than enough rounds to lay down some cover fire. Any lil' bit to help get all of us outta here unscathed," Daryl shoved his clip back into his AKMS and held his hand out to Rick who held the Triple Chaser grenade. Rick stared at him and in that moment they had direct eye contact. Rick's eyes showed worry and relief. He was glad that Daryl was still on their side after everything.

Rick handed the smoke grenade over to Daryl and nodded, "Alright. Everyone stay close and stay in formation… " Rick placed his hand on Daryl's shoulder, "Thank you."

Daryl nodded. He waited for everyone to get behind him ready to run before he pulled the pin on the Triple Chaser grenade and tossed it out into the middle of the small town. As soon as the canister hit the black top smoke began to disperse and fill the air with a fog. He turned his head just in time to see Glenn and Maggie leading the way towards the wall as Oscar and Rick covered them, the four of them sticking close together.

Daryl kept his eyes peeled as he ran for cover behind an army-like SUV. He wondered how in the hell these people got a hold of something like that but he didn't have time to let his mind wander. He slipped around the edge of the large vehicle and shot a couple guys who were closing in through the smoke.

"RICK!"

Daryl's head whipped back at the sound of Maggie screaming. His eyes searched for Rick after he spotted Maggie standing on the hood of a vehicle, ready to hop over the wall. That's when he saw that Oscar was on the ground, seemingly dead. Daryl noticed Rick wasn't too far away from the wall, just a little ways further back than what Daryl was. He watched as Rick shot a guy down, walking over to look down at the body. Daryl wasn't sure what Rick was doing exactly. Now was not the time to sight-see and stare at the downed people of Woodbury.

Daryl turned back to laying down some more cover fire as he noticed some more men were beginning to close in. He missed them as they hid behind different objects and in different nooks and crannies, the smoke still wavering. With each shot Daryl took, the casing of the bullet flew back at him as the gun kicked back. The kickback was not an issue to Daryl though. He was thankful for using his crossbow for close to the past twelve months, his arms being able to take the strain.

"Daryl!" Rick called out. Daryl took a quick glimpse back as he crouched behind the SUV. Rick was standing on top of the vehicle getting ready to cross over the wall, Maggie and Glenn already in the clear. Rick was waving Daryl to come on.

"I'm comin'—Go!" Daryl yelled back at him. He checked his clip before he turned back to shoot at the two guys who had decided to finally come out from hiding. He nailed the one right in the chest as he watched him fall to the ground. Daryl double checked to make sure Rick climbed over the wall to safety and once he realized that he had, he felt relieved. Now all he had to do was make a run for it himself.

When Daryl looked back out at the town though, he immediately felt unnerved. Where the hell did all of these guys come from in such a short time? All he did was glance back to make sure Rick was over.

The only sound that filled Daryl's ears was the flight of bullets whirling through the air and his own pulse pounding in his head. He shot off a few more rounds while taking a couple steps back, dust and casings flying. He saw two more guys hit the ground. He didn't think he'd ever be shooting to kill other humans. He felt guilty but there wasn't much else he could do. It's not like they could have made a negotiation to release Glenn and Maggie and run off on their own free will.

It was just then that Daryl caught something moving from the corner of his eye. He wasn't able to react fast enough as he felt the butt of an assault rifle smash into the side of his face, instantly knocking him to the ground. He was just barely able to catch himself before smashing his face further, looking down at his hands and seeing double. He felt dizzy as he quickly tried to grab for his knife sheathed on his belt, just gripping onto the handle when he felt a strong hand grasp a hold of his wrist. He still tried to fight against it, trying to shake the guy off and gripping onto his knife even harder as he shut his eyes. The side of his face throbbed and he knew there was blood as he could feel the warm liquid begin to trickle down.

The knife was finally ripped from Daryl's grasp and tossed aside as he felt his crossbow being ripped from off of his back. He then felt a knee dig into him between his shoulders to keep him pinned to the ground. Daryl was furious in that moment as he tried to buck up, trying everything that he could to throw the guy. He couldn't shake him though as the guy still had a hold of him by his right wrist. His attacker brought his arm up high on his back and pulled, causing instant discomfort and stabbing pains in Daryl's right shoulder. He gritted his teeth and stopped trying to struggle in that moment. He felt like the guy was going to pull his arm out of its socket.

"Spread the word that we've caught one of the terrorists. I think the others got away."

Since Daryl had been pinned, he decided to take that time to catch his breath. His heart was pounding in his chest. He couldn't believe that he'd been caught. He'd been foolish and this was the payback. He had every intention of making a run for it, making it back to the prison with Rick, Glenn, and Maggie. Regardless, he pushed the fear and pain down, shutting it all out. If he was going to make it out of here, he'd have to stay strong. He wasn't about to just bow down and let these bastards win. He wasn't going to give up without a fight. It was in his blood; fight or die trying.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you. The more you try to fight, the more pain you're asking for," the guy that kept Daryl pinned spoke.

Daryl could hear the shuffling of feet all around him. If he didn't know any better, he'd bet the eyes of every person surrounding him were staring holes in the back of his head. There were a few hushed whispers and Daryl could hear the clicking of a zip tie being tightened around his wrists, binding them together behind his back. The zip tie was tight; any tighter and it would have been cutting off circulation. When he heard the sound of duct tape ripping he couldn't help but grin a little. These people apparently feared him if they didn't think the zip tie would hold. They were pretty smart.

"This is our terrorist?" The voice seemed to hold some type of authority. Daryl would almost bet it was this 'Governor' character. "I told Merle to get our people into the arena. I'm going to get everything under control."

Merle. His brother was close.

"You got my brother workin' for yer sorry asses?" Daryl snapped. His hands were now bound with a zip tie and duct tape as he was yanked to his feet. The guy who pulled him back to his feet still kept a firm grip on his forearm to make sure he didn't try anything. The sudden movement caused Daryl's head to slightly spin.

"Your brother?" The man with the authoritative voice stared at Daryl. He wore a white bandage that was a bit saturated with blood over his right eye. There was a slight smirk playing at his lips as he took a step closer, "You must be Daryl."

"What's it to ya?" Daryl growled. "What kind of narcissistic prick goes by the name 'Governor'?"

The so-called Governor grinned, "One that operates and controls the well-being of this town." He chuckled, "I can tell you're related. This should be fun."

* * *

Merle did as The Governor told him. He had everyone of Woodbury file into the arena as he waited for further instruction from Philip. Most of the people were outraged, yelling and screaming for something to be done. Those who weren't lashing out were cowering in a corner.

Before Merle could give the events that had occurred any thought, he saw Philip walking into the arena with Shupert following behind him. Merle stood off to the side and Shupert ended up standing not too far from him as Philip walked to the center. The people of Woodbury immediately hushed at the sight of him. Everyone was waiting to hear what he had to say about the attack.

"Now I wish I could explain to you the events that have happened here tonight," Philip paced around in the middle of the arena as he provided Woodbury with one of his speeches. "We were attacked, ambushed. I know I'm suppose to stand here and tell you all that you will be fine, that everyone will be safe and we can go on with our lives. But I can't just ignore this. We've lost people—good people to these terrorists that attacked us."

Merle gave it some thought. He wasn't stupid. That damn Asian boy and the girl were missing after the attack. He had a feeling the group that abandoned him in Atlanta—the group that held Officer Friendly—had been the ones to attack. Daryl was a part of that group. His baby brother had stayed with them all this time. Merle couldn't help but wonder which members of the group were just here, right here in Woodbury, right under everyone's noses.

"We were blind, but we won't make that mistake again. And I'm afraid. I'm afraid those terrorists want what we have. I'm afraid that they will want to destroy us, or worse," Philip paused. He took in the sight of the people who looked up to him as a follower, a leader. He took a quick glimpse at Merle before he looked away and continued, "One of those terrorists, is one of our own."

At those words, everyone was gasping in panic. Everyone began to look around at each other muttering inaudible words. If Philip kept at it, he'd easily have the town of Woodbury in shambles with people rioting and tripping over one another.

"Merle," Philip pointed a finger towards Merle, snapping Merle's attention back to the man in the middle. "The man I trusted. The man I counted on. And he led them here. He let them in. Look at what he has cost us. He lied and betrayed us all!"

Caesar stepped forward and took all of Merle's weapons, including his bayonet attachment. He placed them off to the side and pushed Merle forward as he hesitantly raised a gun to Merle's back. Caesar knew Merle wasn't a traitor. The fucking pussy…

Merle looked over at Shupert to see that he had a weapon raised at Merle, too: a crossbow.

_A crossbow… But it couldn't be…?_

Merle's stomach felt like it was twisted into knots. He watched as two men entered into the arena now with a man flanked between them, a bag over his head. Merle stared at the man as he watched him squirm and struggle, doing everything in his power to get away. They were practically dragging him. The man's hands were bound behind him with no way of fighting back.

They pushed the man towards Philip as he slightly tripped before Philip grabbed a hold of him by an arm, yanking him closer.

"This is one of the terrorists," Philip ripped the bag off of the man's head, "Merle's own brother."

Daryl fiercely shook his head as Philip removed the bag from his head. His breathing was heavy as he turned his head to look around at all of the people who were screaming in anger. His eyes searched among the faces and stopped when he locked eyes with Merle's.

Merle stared back at his baby brother in disbelief. It had almost been a year since they'd seen each other last but it felt much longer than that. He still looked about the same; the same scruffy look, the same dominant stance that hid any sign of fear. His hair was longer and he had lost weight, but he was still Merle's one and only little brother. Daryl was the only person Merle had left.

Merle wondered what Daryl was thinking of him at this very moment. Was it good? Bad? Were there even any good memories that were shared? There were plenty of memories that resurfaced at the sight of Daryl for Merle. One in particular that he liked to think was a good one…

* * *

_Merle was eighteen at the time, and since he was technically a legal adult, he had dropped out of high school. He didn't see the point in it. What could those teachers teach him that he couldn't learn on his own? Those teachers couldn't teach him how to properly fight—that was something he had to learn on his own. _

_When Merle was at his worst, he felt ashamed of himself sometimes. He bounced back and forth between drugs, alcohol, and getting into fights with guys at the bar. He'd been to juvie a couple of times due to fights and stealing. But now he was trying to do his best to stay on top of things. He had just gotten a job at a local motorcycle shop. He had always been intrigued by automobiles and the like, and working there helped extend his knowledge. _

_It was about five o'clock in the afternoon when he had finally decided to go home. He usually tried to stay at work late to avoid the inevitable. The only reason he didn't take off and leave completely was Daryl. He knew he could never leave his little brother behind, especially with their dad. He felt guilty leaving him at home by himself as it was, even though he usually went to school and was gone for almost half the day. Hell, he was proud of his baby brother for putting up with everything and still wanting to go to school. There had been plenty of times when Daryl hadn't been allowed because of visible bruises and cuts, and the boy was only ten. _

_Merle opened the old creaky front door and stepped into the house. It reeked of cigarette smoke and hard liquor, but that was an everyday occurrence. Merle set the keys to his truck down on a little table by the door as he glanced around for a moment. It was dead silent and that was an eerie feeling. Then there was a sudden outburst; their dad yelling about something. A sick sort of feeling suddenly washed over Merle as he noticed Daryl wasn't anywhere in sight. _

_Merle rushed towards the sound of their dad's angry voice, quickly realizing that it was coming from the bathroom. The door was slightly cracked as Merle pushed it open. _

_There he saw their dad crouched over the edge of the tub, Daryl underneath of him, as he held Daryl's head under the water. He could see Daryl's small bruised arms trying to pull and push his way free before slightly going limp, the air bubbles slowly dying down. Merle didn't even think—he didn't have time to think. He bolted, charging right at their dad and knocked him over and onto his side, hitting the hard floor with an audible thump. Merle quickly reached over and grabbed Daryl from around his waist and pulled him out of the water. Daryl immediately fell back into him, gasping and choking for air, as he spit water. Merle pulled him closer as he felt him shudder. It was in that moment that Merle knew their dad had come close to successfully drowning his little brother. _

_Their dad stumbled back to his feet with an angry scowl on his face. His eyes bored down onto the brothers with fury as Merle could feel Daryl grasp a hold of his shirt. Daryl pulled himself closer to Merle in that instant._

_"The hell he do to deserve that?!" Merle snapped at their dad, hugging Daryl close. _

_"You watch yer mouth, ya little shit! Think ya can jus' do whatev'r the hell ya want?" their dad held onto the wall to keep his balance. It was obvious he was plastered._

_Neither of the brothers said anything in return. Merle just stayed put with his back propped up against the wall by the sink, holding Daryl in his arms. Their dad finally broke the glare as he managed to walk towards the door. On his way out, Merle could see him lift his foot into the air. Merle had just enough time to shift, protecting Daryl, and taking a kick to his own side. Their dad muttered something under his breath as he finally exited. _

_"I'm so sorry—" Daryl cried out, "I shouldn'ta done what I did! I'm sorry... " _

_"Don't apologize. There ain't no need for that. I'm jus' fine," Merle reassured him, "You okay? What happened?" _

_"Y-Yeah," Daryl sniffled. "I was in my room and tryin' to do my homework 'cuz I'm behind. An' he said something about not having anymore. I don't know… He just grabbed me by my arm and drug me in here. I couldn't get away, Merle. I tried. I even tried ta do what you showed me to do. I jus' wasn't strong enough... " _

_Merle exhaled as he ruffled Daryl's hair, "Ya telling me I needa beat ya some more? Yer strong. Yer stronger than ye think." Merle paused as he stared down at his brother still curled up on his chest, "I'm jus' glad I got here when I did... " _

_He thought about it for a moment. Their dad most likely ran out of the stash that he had. That was the only thing Merle could think when Daryl said 'not having anymore'. Their dad became much more aggressive and strung out when he didn't have his supply of drugs on hand. Merle was actually a little relieved that he's as drunk as he was, otherwise he knew he would have received more than just a kick to his side. _

_"Me too... " Daryl mumbled as he hugged him, "Thank you, Merle."_

* * *

"What should we do with them?" Philip's voice snapped Merle back from his memory. The people of Woodbury began to yell in return, chanting _kill them, kill them_!

Merle looked around at all of the people that he was once protecting. They took him in like he was one of them and this was the thanks he received. They were all so naïve and quick to believe any word that came out of Philip's mouth it made Merle sick.

Merle kept an eye on Philip as he began to near Daryl. When Philip was within arm's reach of Daryl, circling around him like a rabid wolf, Merle clinched his fist. He hadn't realized he took a couple steps forward until he felt Caesar and Shupert close in on him, the gun in his back and the crossbow wavering in the corner of his eye. _Daryl's_ crossbow. If that sorry excuse for a man laid a hand on Daryl… Or perhaps he already had since Daryl was sporting a fresh cut on his cheek. Merle had to get them out of this. It was up to him, it was his responsibility to look after his little brother.

"Not so tough when your weapons are stripped from you," Philip stopped in front of Daryl, his face close to his.

Daryl stared back at the man with anger, his eyes narrowed. He didn't falter. That was something that made Merle feel proud. All these years he spent trying to make a man out of his little brother and this was the result. Daryl refused to show any sign of fear. He knew that he wouldn't let these goons capture him without a fight. It was a Dixon trait.

Philip smirked as he stared at Daryl, about a foot away. Daryl returned a fake little smirk himself just before he spit in his face. Philip took a step back gritting his teeth as he pulled a cloth from his back pocket. He wiped Daryl's saliva from his face as the rage began to build up.

He replaced the cloth back in his pocket and licked his bottom lip. Merle knew the sign; Philip was pissed. He was one person who was not too great at holding back his emotions—especially when it came to anger.

Philip formed his right hand into a fist and punched Daryl in the face. The force of the impact caused Daryl to stumble back a bit, shaking his head. The two men that had dragged him into the arena were now by his sides again. As Philip sent another punch flying towards Daryl's face, Daryl managed to just barely miss it, ducking right on time.

* * *

_It was a few days later when Merle realized Daryl must have gone out into the woods for a bit. His little brother was always playing outside and Merle couldn't blame him. He walked quite a ways through the trees and underbrush as the birds sang overhead. The creek was in sight and Merle could see that Daryl was sitting just on the edge of it with his knees tucked under his chin. Daryl hadn't noticed him walking closer, so Merle took this as his opportunity._

_Merle closed in the gap between him and his little brother as he tackled him, grabbing a hold of him by the back of the neck, and submerged his face under the water. Daryl struggled beneath him, choking. _

_"C'mon, baby brother! Ye gotta fight me!" Merle coaxed him. He slightly let up, allowing Daryl to breathe. _

_"I—can't—" Daryl choked out. _

_Merle pushed his head back down as he felt Daryl's hands grab onto his arm. "Don' go for my arm. Think, little brother. Think," Merle let him up again. _

_Daryl spit a mouthful of water out, "What am I suppose to do then?" _

_Merle continued his routine and once again pushed him down. This time he watched as Daryl tried to push off of the ground, his hands buried in the ground beneath him. "Don' act. Think. What're ye gonna do to get out?" _

_Daryl stopped struggling for a moment and when he remained stationary, Merle let up. But this time Daryl didn't move as he lay with his face still in the water. Merle placed his hand on his brother's shoulder just as Daryl suddenly bucked up and jabbed his elbow backwards, hitting Merle in the jaw. Merle fell back on his bottom as he fixed his stare on his little brother. _

_Daryl forced a tiny smile, "Did I do good?" _

_Merle grinned. He had pretended to pass out, which caused Merle to back off and release him. The boy was pretty smart after all. _

_"Yeah, ye little shit. Not half bad. 'Cept I wouldn' expect our old man to fall for that one considerin' he's always drunk," Merle punched Daryl in the shoulder. "Some words of advice: you ever get the chance to hit someone like that when yer bein' attacked, ye don' hold back. Ye elbowed me in the jaw. After that, ye should have hit me again. Ye can't be stunned yerself, ye gotta stun yer opponent."_

_Daryl nodded, his face slightly twisted in confusion as he looked like he was taking a mental note._

_Merle chuckled, "C'mon, boy. S' go grab some lunch for yer victory lesson."_

* * *

The two men grabbed Daryl by his arms now as Philip landed another punch to Daryl's face. But Daryl continued to give them a run for their money; he leaned back into the two men and kicked at Philip, though he happened to avoid it. Philip punched Daryl one last time in the face before one of the men holding him back kicked him in the back of the leg, making him drop to his knees.

With each hit Daryl received the people of Woodbury only seemed to cheer that much louder. These people were sick, mentally ill. How could they cheer for this? But Merle wasn't much better than them. Look at what he did to that Asian boy just moments before all of this happened. All because he wanted his brother and yet here he was.

"Philip—stop!" Andrea called out. She was also being held back from trying to help. But nothing seemed to break through to Philip. Not now.

Philip sent one swift kick to Daryl's ribs, causing Daryl to lean to the side slightly doubled over by instinct. He inhaled sharply as Merle could see his shoulders rise and fall with each quick, short breath. Merle could tell he was hurting but he was still keeping himself composed.

_Kill them! Kill them!_

Another kick to Daryl's ribs received the same reaction. Daryl struggled against the two men who held him still. He had his eyes shut tight as his breathing quickened. He spit down at his knees. He had no way of getting out of this now.

Just as Philip prepared to hit Daryl again, the words flew from Merle's mouth: "Leave 'im alone! It's me yer pissed at!—Git away from 'im!"

Philip stopped as he slowly turned his head to look over at Merle. Caesar and Shupert kept Merle back with weapons drawn on him. He walked closer to Merle with a slight grin on his face. He was amused, he was enjoying every minute of this. He pulled the cloth out of his pocket again, this time to wipe Daryl's blood off of his fists.

"Take him to the holding room," Philip instructed. He looked at Merle, "You're right. You wanted your brother. Now you got him."

* * *

**I'd like to believe Daryl didn't get caught on purpose, and so… yeah. Thus concludes this little story. There were many ways I could have went with it and I just decided to stick with this one.**

**I could have continued it to where Daryl may or may not be saved. Poor Daryl… I figured I would stop it here before I could mess it up any more though, haha. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of The Walking Dead or its characters. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**NOTES:** So… I'm just kind of winging it and going with the flow. Oops? Help-me-I-don't-know-what-I'm-getting-myself-into! Reviews are very much appreciated! Let me know if you want me to continue this or if I should just bury it. Thanks ahead of time! xoxo

* * *

"C'mon, Daryl…" Rick leaned with his back against the old car where they had originally all huddled before infiltrating Woodbury. Maggie and Glenn joined his side. The waiting was making them nervous.

There was a sudden noise nearby, a crunch of twigs and leaves a few feet away. The three immediately drew their guns and waited as Michonne crawled out from the shadows.

Rick was fuming. He had brought this woman in hopes of getting an upper hand on Woodbury and yet this same woman ran off as soon as they were in. She was only concerned for herself. She used them as a decoy.

Rick threw his arm up against her chest and pushed her back against a tree, glaring into her eyes. He pulled her katana from its sheath and tossed it to the side. "Did you get what you came for?" he spoke in just above a whisper, his voice menacing. Now that he was practically on top of her, he noticed that she was a bit bloody. Whatever she had come for, she must have had some accomplishment.

Michonne didn't flinch. She kept a similar scowl on her face as she glared back at Rick, unresponsive. When Rick didn't say any more, she took the initiative. "Where are the others?"

"They got Oscar," Maggie filled the woman in. Her voice was shaky and Glenn noticed this, taking that moment to pull her into a comforting embrace. They were shaken up but they made it out.

"Have you seen Daryl? He's not out here," Rick paused. "If something happens to him—"

"I didn't come here for your people. And if he got left behind, that's not my problem," Michonne retorted.

"Then what _is_ your problem? 'Cause I can tell you one that you're going to have," Rick threatened. He still kept his arm rested against her chest keeping her against the tree.

Michonne ignored Rick's question, "Whether you want to go back in there or you want to make it back to the prison, you need me." She kept her voice just as threatening as Rick's.

"Rick… We can't just keep sitting out here. We're sitting ducks," Glenn informed the man.

"I know. You think I don't know that?" Rick glanced back at Glenn with a slight scowl on his face now. He sighed as he let go of Michonne. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little stressed right now and I've about had it to here." Rick motioned his hand above his head to exaggerate.

Glenn frowned as he nodded. Rick had just lost Lori and his newborn baby was most likely Shane's… He felt bad for him, but there wasn't much he could really do. For as much as Rick had been through, Glenn thought he was actually doing pretty well; especially still having the strain of being the leader.

"Alright," Rick began to contemplate his plan. He scratched at the stubble on his chin. "Michonne and I will head back in for Daryl. I want you two to get back to the prison and—"

"No," Maggie shook her head. "No way. I want to stay and help get Daryl back. It's the least I can do, for Glenn and I both. Glenn's in no shape so I want to do this." When Rick gave her a concerning look she begged, "For Daryl. Please."

Rick placed his hands on his hips and slowly nodded, "Okay… Okay. I'll stay with you. That means you and Glenn are heading back to the prison." He informed Michonne. He looked over at Glenn, "Once you get there, you need to see Hershel. See if there's anything that can be done for your injuries. I want you two to spread the word that this could all go south. This may not stay in Woodbury and I need everyone to be prepared for that. If worse comes to worse… "

"We've got this," Glenn assured Rick.

"Thank you." Rick felt a bit a relief knowing the plans were set into motion. Now he could only hope these plans would work out. He knew the longer they screwed around, the more they were putting Daryl's life at risk and that was something he didn't want. Daryl meant a lot to Rick. In a way, he was Shane's replacement. Daryl had become his right-hand man; he had provided them with food, he had saved T-Dog's life back on the highway, he had searched high and low for Sophia and never gave up hope while everyone else had, he shot Dale for him when he couldn't, he rescued Carol from the depths of the prison, he had led and protected the group when he was out of his mind, and he had risked his life to gather supplies on numerous occasions, including runs for baby stuff. If it weren't for that man, Rick knew the odds of Judith, _his_ baby, living would be very slim and he was forever grateful.

He felt as though he owed Daryl his life.

* * *

Daryl felt the bag slip back over his head, his vision blacked out from the cloth material. The last image he had in his mind was the Governor standing next to Merle. His brother. What more could possibly happen to send Daryl for a loop? He would have never of expected this. He didn't expect to get caught.

He was pulled back to his feet and forced to move forward, the two men practically dragging him again. The only sounds he could hear now were the continuous chants (Kill them! Kill them!), and his breathing. He thrashed and struggled against the two men's grip, trying to pull his arms free and trying to throw the bag off of his head. His head pounded uncontrollably and his left side throbbed from just the two kicks he had received. He could feel the beads of sweat run down the sides of his face as he was trapped under the bag with nothing besides his own hot breath. Between the excruciating headache, the warmth, and the feeling of claustrophobia, he felt nauseous. Hell, every event that led him to where he currently drug his feet made him feel nauseous.

Since Daryl couldn't see what was going on, he listened. He could hear the chanting of the Woodbury citizens slowly fade away in the distance with nothing but the usual sounds of night filling his ears afterwards. Outside of that arena, everything seemed still. If he weren't bound and hidden beneath a bag on his head it would almost feel peaceful. How in the world did Merle stumble upon these people? And furthermore, why did he stay? It didn't seem likely of him.

When Daryl saw Merle in that arena he felt as though time had stopped. He never thought he'd see his older brother again, especially under those circumstances. When he noticed he had a metal contraption on his arm, he realized then that he really did cut off his own hand. He never doubted it but it just didn't seem real; Merle lived through that. Merle was able to escape from Atlanta and somehow he made it all the way here to Woodbury, only a few miles from the prison. He was only a few miles away all this time.

Daryl felt relieved when he saw Merle alive, standing but a few feet away from him moments ago. But for some reason, Daryl didn't have a good feeling about any of this. He didn't know anything about this Governor except for the fact that he is mentally disturbed, sick. If he couldn't get out of this himself, could he rely on Merle to help? What about Rick and the others? Daryl felt a pang of anxiety; he had a deep, wrenching feeling that he wasn't going to make it out of this alive. He had a feeling that he'd never see Rick again, Carl and Judith. He'd never see Carol, or Hershel, or Beth. He'd never see Glenn or Maggie after he helped save them from the same demise he was about to face. It felt as though everything was over. But he wasn't ready to give up. He'd still fight, he had to. He'd still fight as long as he could.

Daryl could hear a few doors open with a slight creak as they passed through narrow enough doorways to where the two men had to enter into the rooms sideways to keep a hold of Daryl by his arms. The sound of their footsteps was different now as they were walking across paved cement. The door closed behind them and Daryl instantly had the feeling that this was it. This was the final room.

* * *

Merle had to stand there like a puppet and watch as the two men drug his brother off to the holding room. They were taking him to the room where Glenn was earlier; the room that Merle had beaten that boy in hopes of getting information. He wanted to know where his brother was and now Daryl would most likely be in that very room.

"I hope you don't mind, but I have some of my own plans on my agenda to attend to," Philip stayed close to Merle as he spoke. The people of Woodbury were completely oblivious to the words coming out of his mouth now.

"Yeah? And what's that?" Merle held back on smartass responses. He figured they wouldn't help him any. He was raging on the inside, ready to start throwing punches and fight his way out of this. He was ready to run after those two goons that took off with his brother. But he had to stay there and remain calm, as calm as he could. He couldn't give Philip that satisfaction. Philip would thrive off of it.

"Let me just fill you in on what happened," Philip narrowed his one good eye. "Michonne returned. You remember her? The one you told me was _dead_."

"She was left for dead. Ain't no way I coulda predicted she'd be back," Merle spat.

Philip ignored Merle's comment as he continued. "Well, she came back. And she killed my Penny. She took my right eye." He paused. "I want you to use your imagination now. What exactly do you think I'm going to do to you to get revenge?"

Merle stared back at Philip. He looked menacing as he spit the last couple sentences at Merle. But Merle could only shake his head. He tried to hide any look of panic that was liable to crawl across his face at that moment. He knew what it all meant. Philip had Daryl now. Daryl was like the equivalence of Penny in this equation. His revenge would be that simple. He was going to take Daryl away from him, permanently.

"Yes, that's it. Go ahead. Let your thoughts run wild," Philip grinned.

"…You wouldn't dare," Merle growled in response. There was no way in hell he was going to let this bastard kill his baby brother. Not after everything they'd been though. Not after being separated for well over a year and just now being reunited. Not after being reunited and unable to even say a word to each other. He would do everything in his power to put a stop to Philip.

"Don't worry. I'll take my time," Philip's voice became even more menacing as he seemed to be whispering to Merle so that only he could hear. "You can watch if you'd like. I had to watch that vile woman kill my beloved Penny."

"Penny was already dead, ya sick fuck," Merle gritted his teeth. He could instantly tell that Philip was now doing everything in his power not to hit Merle. After all, they were still standing in the arena. Everyone was watching whether they could hear or not.

But at that very moment, there was a slow burst of smoke originating from the middle of the arena. Philip turned to look and it was very clear what was going on. The townspeople of Woodbury began to panic once again, screaming and cowering together in herds. The group from Atlanta had come back for Daryl, and this surprised Merle. Apparently his baby brother had made quite the impression on these people for them to want to come back and rescue him. He felt a surge of jealousy; nobody had ever come looking for him. No, they handcuffed him to that roof back in Atlanta and left him for dead.

Once the smoke was thick enough, Merle planned his escape. He punched Shupert and immediately snatched Daryl's crossbow from his grip, further knocking him back, and down, once he had it. He grabbed his bayonet attachment that rested by his feet and stayed low to the ground as he hurried towards the exit of the arena. With everyone in a panic and with the smoke clouding everyone's view, it was easier than he thought. He was on the outside in no time as he swung around the corner and stayed low, working on reattaching his bayonet to his right arm. He was limited on time.

Merle could make a run for it right now. Everyone was still inside the arena tripping over each other. They probably hadn't even realized that he snuck out. If Merle made a run for it now, he would be in the clear. They'd never be able to catch up with him because they wouldn't have a clue where he went. He could make it out alive and in one piece. But Merle glanced down at the crossbow in his hand. He couldn't leave Daryl behind… Could he?

* * *

"Did you hear something?" one of the men holding onto Daryl's arm spoke. There was a sudden _crunch_ that sounded like a blade cutting into wood that slightly made Daryl jump. He cursed at himself in his head.

"I'm not sure. It almost sounded like people screaming… "

Daryl gritted his teeth from under the bag on his head. These men were idiots. If someone was screaming, something was going on. He immediately feared for Merle. He wasn't sure if this Governor guy would ever do something in front of all of those people, but it was still a thought that penetrated Daryl's mind. It had to be Merle or… Could it be possible that Rick and the others came back for him?

Daryl had cooperated with these two men for the most part, especially the further they had walked. But since they were now stationary inside of that final room, Daryl was ready to wreak some havoc. He reached his leg out, keeping balanced, and kicked one of the men in the back of his leg. That caught the man off guard as he released Daryl's arm and tripped. Daryl then quickly lowered his head and shook the bag off, taking a fresh deep breath. He squint his eyes as he tried to get adjusted to the sudden light, slamming his left shoulder into the guy left standing. The man let go of him and Daryl sent a swift kick straight to his chest, knocking that man flat on his ass.

Daryl quickly backed up away from the men and out of their grasps. He struggled and tried to pry his arms apart from behind his back but he knew there was no use. He felt as if the only chance he stood was if they were willing to play footsies with him. But then he remembered that crunching sound that he heard, and he was right.

There it was; his hunting knife was stabbed into the top of the wooden table in the middle of the room. _Hallelujah! _He stood a chance after all. Maybe.

Daryl paced back and forth, searching for an approach that he could take. Both of the men were back on their feet and unarmed. He had to either get them away from the knife or he'd have to knock them out. Good lord, who did he think he was, Jackie Chan? He wouldn't be able to take these guys out with just a few kicks. He needed his hands.

_Why didn't ya just make a run for it while ya could, jackass? _Daryl thought to himself. _Because yer stubborn an' you ain't leavin' here without that damn hunting knife. Jus' like you ain't leaving here without yer crossbow. _Hell, he must have had an epiphany. He was talking to himself like he was getting out of here now.

Gunshots rang out from afar and Daryl ducked down by instinct. When he glanced over at the two men he noticed they did the same thing. It was obvious none of them were expecting to hear gunfire. The only question was what did it mean? Who was firing at who?


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of The Walking Dead or its characters. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**NOTES:** Reviews are very welcome! (Please?) And thank you to those of you who are following and have left reviews! It gives me an idea of what I'm doing right. Let's see how long my brain can keep winging this. Surprisingly, this chapter came to me pretty fast. I was definitely not expecting that. Any who, enjoy!

UPDATE: I noticed a few errors that I made after re-rereading over this. I seriously reread over everything I post more than once and I still can't catch my own mistakes. Ugh. Haha.

* * *

"Go, go, _go_!" Rick hissed at Maggie, keeping her close to him as they made a run for it. He was thankful there were only two guards keeping watch on the wall and they proved to be an easy task to get rid of. They crouched low in the shadows as they hurried along the perimeter of the so-called arena. Michonne had explained to them that this was most likely where anything would go down. Rick could tell that she was right as they were up against the structure of the thin walled building. Woodbury was quiet except for the continuous yelling and chanting, which Rick made out to be 'kill them, kill them'.

"This doesn't sound good," Maggie glanced back at Rick as she led the way.

"It doesn't sound good, but at least it tells us Daryl's still alive," Rick explained.

"Yeah, but '_them_'? What exactly is going on here?" Maggie checked her gun as she kept it lowered in front of her. She drew her knife and kept it clenched in her hands along with the pistol, the blade pointing downward. Though she knew nothing about combat skills, Glenn had showed her this trick that he had picked up from a video game: Metal Gear Solid. She could remember the look on his face when he explained it to her. He looked so serious and she couldn't help but laugh at the time. Her boyfriend, a stranger she met due to the end of the world, was a video game nerd. For all she knew, maybe the technique would save her.

"I don't know. Just stay close. I think we've got one more smoke bomb left. What do you say?" Rick asked Maggie for her opinion. He knew he was suppose to be the leader and suppose to make the decisions, but he didn't want to make the decision alone. He wanted to make sure Maggie had a say and that the idea was valid.

Maggie stopped and propped her back up against the wall as Rick stopped and slung the book bag off of his shoulder. He dug through the bag and retrieved the last Triple Chaser they had, twisting it around in his hand, looking for Maggie's approval while she made sure they weren't left open to a surprise attack.

"If Daryl's in there, we need to get him out. I think using that thing is going to be the only safe way," Maggie confirmed.

Rick nodded as he reassembled the bag and threw it over his shoulder. He kept his Colt Python tucked away in its holster on his belt as he grasped the Triple Chaser in his hand with the assault rifle in the other. "We'll make our way down to the entrance, I'll carefully toss this in as far as I can, and we wait."

"I'll cover you, just in case," Maggie backed him up as he froze at her words. _I'll cover you_. Wasn't that what Daryl told them? And look where it landed him.

Rick decided then that he wouldn't let Maggie out of his sight. He knew it was a bad idea to let her stay but he couldn't argue with her. She was tough and she was determined. She was just an average young woman living on a farm, a simple farm girl who had possibly attended college, before the world went to shit. Rick knew he couldn't let anything happen to her; for the sake of his sanity, for Hershel, for Beth, for Glenn. Maggie had become a part of the group so fast and she was like family. Rick saw her as like a daughter, or maybe like a hardened cousin. This young woman had brought his newborn daughter into the world. If he had convinced her to go with Glenn back to the prison, maybe he wouldn't be so worried. If Michonne was with him, he wouldn't fret about her blood being on his hands, as bad as that sounded. The thought made his stomach churn. Had living in this world destroyed the humane part of him? He shook the feeling quickly. At least Glenn would be safe with the katana-wielding woman.

Rick slowly crept towards the entrance before he squeezed the Triple Chaser and pulled the pin, lobbing it into the center of the arena the best he could. When he threw it he couldn't get much of a view and he couldn't tell who was standing in the middle; all it seemed to be was a flash of people, angry people. He sunk back towards Maggie and kept his back up against the wall as he prepared the M4A1.

"Get ready," Rick warned, his eyes sharp on the entrance. He felt Maggie lean in towards him, just hovering by his shoulder with the Walther P99 pistol and knife catching the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but smile a little knowing she was right there by his side. He had helped to get her to safety and here she was, fighting her way back in with him to retrieve Daryl.

A figure that was slouched low to the ground emerged from the arena and rounded the corner in no time flat, not even realizing the threat of Rick and Maggie standing close by. Rick felt Maggie press on but he held his hand out, "Hold your fire." He paused, waiting for any other figures to emerge. He knew he couldn't just keep them waiting and the longer they waited, the worse things could turn out.

"But that was Merle. And that son of a bitch had Daryl's crossbow," Maggie kept her voice low.

Rick was taken aback by her choice of words. Farmer's daughter alright. Nevertheless, he replied, "I know. Let's pay him a quick visit, shall we?" He nodded his head toward the direction Merle had disappeared from around the corner and led the way with Maggie by his side, always in the corner of his eye where he could see her.

They didn't have to move far as they came around the corner, coming to a halt just in front of Merle as the man jumped back to his feet with his right arm raised, the bayonet attachment wavering in their faces. Rick and Maggie kept their weapons raised as Merle chuckled.

"Oh, ol' Officer Friendly. Ye come back for something?" Merle lowered his arm switching his gaze to Maggie and grinned, "And ye brought the pretty one back with ye."

"Shut up," Maggie took a step closer to him, her pistol steady in her hands.

"Where's Daryl?" Rick asked the older Dixon, ignoring his remarks. He had forgotten how much of a pain in the ass the man was back in Atlanta, even though he did feel guilty leaving him on that rooftop.

"Where'd y'all think I was headed?" Merle held up Daryl's crossbow with his left hand.

"You mean he's not in there?" Maggie questioned, referring to the arena that Merle had just emerged from, a little bit of smoke still rolling out from the entrance.

"Hell no, them pricks drug 'im off. Mos' likely in tha room where I left ye and yer Asian boyfrien'," Merle replied.

Rick nodded, "Then you'll show us." It was more of a statement than a question. He wasn't about to turn his back to Merle Dixon, knowing quite well that man could attack at any given second. He was unpredictable. It was hard to believe Daryl was his brother. After being around Daryl all this time, it had become evident that the two brothers seemed nothing alike, except for a few hot-headed moments.

Before Merle could reply, three men had snuck out of the depleting smoke filled arena and spotted them. One of them managed a quick "Hey!" out of shock that their intruders were so close by but Rick, Maggie, and Merle didn't let them take a shot. Rick gunned the first one down as Maggie fired the second one in the head with one bullet. Merle grabbed the third man and spliced the bayonet threw the man's skull with a disgusting crunch and gurgle of blood.

"Now that that's all settled… You was sayin'?" Merle turned his attention back to Rick with a grin.

* * *

Glenn noticed the immediate threat just as they were coming up the small hill. Walkers, and there was four of them. He searched the ground the best he could with what light there was from the sun just barely peaking up from the horizon. It would be sunrise before long, maybe another hour or so. Had they really been gone for an entire day already?

Michonne was already working her way through a walker, completely decapitating it with one swift slice as usual. He saw her stab the long sword into the next walker and kick it back, pulling the blade back out before slicing its head off as well. Glenn thought that she was either having an enjoyable time taking them out or she was just a complete badass. He was torn between the two.

Glenn finally spotted a decent sized rock as he bent down to retrieve it, holding his side in the process. He gripped the rock firmly in his hand as he ran at the nearest walker, a slight yell rising up from his throat and escaping his lips as he bashed the rock into the walker's head. He watched as it fell to the ground with a _thump_ and continued to whale on its head until its thick dark blood and guts oozed from the crushed skull, his hand covered in it. He heard another _thump_ as he looked over to see the last walker with no head; Michonne had killed it before it could come any closer to him.

"You done?" Michonne asked, sliding her katana back into its sheath in one fluid motion. Glenn realized he felt a bit pathetic, having only smashed one walker's brain in with a rock while she had taken out three in less time. She offered him a hand as he took it, pulling him back to his feet.

They continued walking without any further problems and it wasn't long until the prison was in sight. Glenn pushed himself to run faster, a burst of energy hitting him. His body ached and he was ready to collapse. His head was pounding from all of the punches Merle had delivered, and head butting him didn't help matters, though at least he could look back on it now and smile a little, knowing he had made Merle bleed. Even though he didn't really know this new woman—Michonne—he was thankful for her. She had dispatched a few straggling walkers earlier along the way and had helped him back to his feet when he had tripped, sending even more pain to course through his body. With the prison in sight though, it made them both push on that much harder.

Glenn could see Carol and Carl up ahead as they were running for the gates. They must have spotted them off in the distance as well. They were just getting the gates open as Glenn and Michonne ran inside the perimeter, hearing the clang of the metal gates close back up behind them. Glenn panted and rested his hands on his knees as he stared down at the ground. He about fell back on his ass as he tried to regain his breath. Michonne didn't seem to have so much of a problem catching her breath as she stood upright perfectly fine.

"What happened? Where are the others?" Carl hounded with the questions first. He was armed with the Browning BDA pistol as he tucked it away in its holster.

Carol rubbed Glenn's back in a sympathetic manner, realizing he was injured. Glenn nodded and slightly patted Carol on the arm before he stood back up straight and looked back and forth between her and Carl. Carl wore more of a concerned face full of questioning while Carol only seemed struck with fear, a slight frown tugging at her lips.

"We think… " Glenn licked his lips and shut his eyes for a moment, still trying to catch his breath. "We think Daryl was captured. Rick and Maggie stayed back to try and get him out."

"Daryl was captured?" Carol placed a hand over her mouth.

"But they're all okay, right? My dad? And Maggie and Daryl?" Carl now looked back and forth between Michonne and Glenn. He wanted answers. He was already prepared for the worse. He tried to mentally prepare himself the moment they left to save Glenn and Maggie. He had told himself that they most likely weren't coming back so he couldn't get his hopes up. After watching his mom… After watching his mom die, after shooting her in the head, he knew he couldn't keep playing the games anymore. This was the end of the world as they knew it. Walkers roamed the earth. The odds of any of them making it out of this alive were slim. Even though he was only thirteen, he knew better. He knew his childhood was over the day they stood by and watched them drop napalm on Atlanta. But it was now his turn to act like an adult. He knew if worse came to worse, he would have to step up and provide his group with the leadership his dad had.

Glenn could see the strength in Carl as he continued on with the questions. In that moment, he looked stronger than Carol. Glenn wasn't sure if that was just part of the Grimes gene or what. Part of it made Glenn appreciate the kid that much more, another part of him felt sorry for him.

"As far as I know. They were all okay before we left," Glenn answered.

"Thank, God," Carol gasped. "Come inside and we'll have Hershel look you both over. We can talk more then." She ushered an injured Glenn and Michonne along as Carl followed them back into the depths of the prison.

* * *

Daryl struggled with the two men that he was trapped with in the small room. Each time they had tried to grab him he was able to kick them back. He was finally able to get one good kick in, knocking one of them down onto his back. Daryl took that as his advantage as he kept kicking the man, hitting him in the side and in the head before he felt the other man grab him by his arms from behind, pulling him back.

Daryl took a deep breath before he thrust his head back, slamming it into the other man's head and knocking him back. This motion certainly didn't help his headache as it came flooding back, pounding. Good lord, he was going to regret all of the times he had hit his head before he got out of this place.

He sent another kick at the man in front of him as he was getting back to his feet. And just like it was on cue, the man grabbed him by the ankle and caused Daryl to fall backwards. Since his hands were still bound behind him he had no way of catching himself as his head collided with the concrete beneath them. Apparently, he spoke too soon.

There was a loud _crash_ as the door to the room flew open and Daryl could hear the sound of guns reloading. His head spun as he tried to look over towards the door just as gunfire rang out in the room. Daryl cringed at the sound as he heard the bodies of the two men crash to the ground. That was a good sign, right?

"C'mon, boy. What're ye doin' layin' around? Let's git ye out of here," Merle walked over to him. He managed to roll over onto his side as Merle cut the tape from his wrists with his now handy (and quite rather threatening) stump. Daryl managed to snap the zip tie by slamming his wrists against his back, his wrists being completely free at last. Rick helped him to his feet and that's when he noticed Maggie was there as well. He didn't say anything though as he rubbed his wrists and waited for his vision to catch up with him, everything still slightly spinning.

Daryl took a few steps towards the table and grabbed his knife from the wood, examining it before replacing it back into its sheath on his belt. When he noticed Merle had his crossbow, he grinned.

"Son of a bitch," Daryl smiled, ignoring any pain that pulsed through his body at that moment. "Ya got it."

"Better fuckin' believe it. Ain't gon' let them bastards take e'rything we got," Merle tossed the crossbow to his brother, Daryl catching it. He looked it over and realized there was no real harm done to it. He had six bolts still attached to it and he was satisfied with that. It was better than none.

Daryl looked Merle in the eye for the first time without an immediate threat breathing down their necks. He could read the look in his eyes that spoke volumes of rage and anguish but he pushed it down. The only thing that mattered in that moment was that they were all alive and they were getting out of there.

Daryl patted Rick on the shoulder and stuck his hand out to Merle as Merle grabbed his hand in return for a handshake, both of the brothers slightly grinning at each other.

"Let's get the hell outta here."


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of The Walking Dead or its characters. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**NOTES:** Finally have a Dixon brother reunion. Woohoo! I promise I'm going to try and stay in character as much as possible, bear with me! Thank you to all of you wonderful people who have reviewed, favorited, or are following this. It seriously makes me feel like a little giddy girl. I'm such a child. But seriously though, thank you! xoxo

* * *

Rick watched the brothers interact as he wasn't sure what to think of it. He knew that he would do anything and everything in his power to help Daryl, but he wasn't so sure that applied to Merle. He just didn't trust the man; not after Atlanta, not after beating T-Dog, not after beating Glenn, not after the crazed looks he shot at him and Maggie after carelessly stabbing the blade through a live man's skull. But right now he knew he had to trust Daryl's instincts. This was Daryl's brother and if anyone knew Merle, it was him. He figured that if Merle was a threat to them, Daryl would say so; he wouldn't let him or Maggie, or anyone else from their group, fall victim to his brother. At least, not again.

They didn't have time for a discussion seeing as they had to get out of Woodbury before someone found them. Rick led the way as he slowly poked his head out of the room to make sure the coast was clear. He nodded as he looked back at the three. He then focused his stare on Daryl, then to Maggie unnoticed, then back to Daryl. Daryl caught this and he nodded in return. It was Rick's nonverbal cue to tell Daryl to keep an eye on Maggie and make sure that she was safe at all costs.

Rick made his way down the hall towards the door that led out to the town. He slowly turned the handle and when he could only make out the sounds of angry voices still yelling and arguing, he knew they stood a chance. If they were angry, they most likely wouldn't be as focused. The brain could sometimes be a wonderful thing.

The four of them emerged through the door and Rick immediately opened fire on the nearest men before they could even pull the trigger. There were a few pops that sounded off from Maggie's pistol as Daryl and Merle stayed close behind them. Daryl had his crossbow readied at eye level just in case as they managed to make it down the middle of Woodbury with what seemed to be little effort.

Merle, Daryl, and Maggie all kept their eyes peeled for The Governor. Rick was fortunate, as he had yet to come face to face with the daunting man. He was nowhere in sight though as they continued to fire away at anyone who dared to raise a gun or stand in their way.

Whatever it was, they seemed to have scared them off into hiding. No other men tried to surface from out of the arena or surrounding buildings as they made a run for the wall. Rick climbed up first and helped Maggie over. Daryl shot a bolt at a man who had tried to sneak around the corner to take aim and nailed him in the forehead. Merle slapped him on the back hard enough to make him stumble forward, the smack so sudden and unexpected. It was his way of saying, '_good job_'.

Daryl climbed over the wall after Maggie and Rick followed, leaving Merle to help himself. As soon as the four of them were on the other side of the wall, Merle made an excuse to open his mouth.

"Thanks fer the help there, Friendly," Merle spoke, the sarcasm dripping from his words.

"You are just fine on your own. Don't start shit with me," Rick spat, pointing a finger back at Merle's chest.

Merle opened his mouth to come back with another witty comment but Daryl put his hand up to silence them. "Good lord. If y'all don't shut up, I'm about to volunteer to knock yer teeth in…" Daryl held the back of his head where it had collided with the concrete floor earlier.

Merle bit his tongue and nodded, shooting Rick one last evil glare. But at that moment, it seemed as though everyone who was in hiding had come out to play. Gunfire rained down and around the four unexpectedly as they all ducked for cover and sprinted off. There was no time for a brief discussion, no plan of action, no time to check for bullet wounds. They were forced to split up as they ran into the woods, the men of Woodbury hot on their trails.

* * *

Glenn walked over to his cell and dug through his belongings until he found a clean shirt. He tossed it on and sighed as he stared down at the empty bed. He could only hope that Maggie was safe out there. He had wanted to stay with her but he knew he couldn't, not with the condition that he was in. She was tough and he was well aware of that. He remembered the first time he saw her, galloping through the woods on horseback and swooping Lori up to take her off to the farmhouse. At that moment, he never thought he'd really even talk to her, let alone become this close to her. He just had to remind himself that she was with Rick, and soon enough, she would be with Rick _and_ Daryl. He knew if she was going to be safe with anyone, it would be those two.

Glenn walked back out into the open area of the cell block. It was still pretty dark, but just enough light to where he could see everyone's faces from a distance. He knew his face wasn't exactly a pretty sight as his right eye was bruised and swollen. Hershel had looked him over when he had first returned with Michonne and explained that he was lucky he was able to escape with nothing but bruises.

Hershel sat on the stairs that led up to the landing where Daryl had been staying. Beth stood close to him with Judith cradled in her arms while Carl was locking the door to their cell block. Carol walked over towards the Greene family and Glenn, forcing a smile. Axel stood against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Michonne kept her distance. After Glenn surveyed everyone, he felt like they were falling apart. That's when he realized they would be nothing without Rick and Daryl to help lead them. They couldn't afford to lose anyone else in the group.

"Door's secure. Nobody's getting in here," Carl confirmed as he joined them.

"Now, what exactly were you saying about this Woodbury place? Maggie is still there, why?" Hershel asked Glenn.

"Rick is afraid that this could all end, well… badly. He wanted me and Michonne to make it back here to let you guys know that we should prepare for the worse. Daryl was captured and Maggie wanted to stay with Rick to get him back. But I was thinking about it and really, she's safe with them. I mean—"

"I know, boy. I know," Hershel spoke softly, cutting Glenn off. He smiled at him.

"I wanted to kill that Governor guy so much… I still do," Glenn muttered.

Nobody said another word as there were only nods in agreement. Glenn thought it was best if he kept what really happened in Woodbury to himself. But maybe it was already obvious since he came back shirtless, having given Maggie his shirt to wear. He clenched his fists at his sides at the thought of it. She told him that nobody did anything to her though, and he knew that she wouldn't lie to him.

"Should we get the weapons and start preparing then?" Beth's voice was quiet as she spoke, snapping Glenn back to the reality of their sad, depleting cell block.

Just as Glenn was about to tell them it would probably be a good idea, he looked up and over at the door that Carl had just locked. There were four new people: two men, a younger looking man, and a woman.

"Whoa—who the hell are they?!" Glenn pointed his finger in their direction, his eyes wide.

Hershel, Carol, and Beth let out a small chuckle at Glenn's outburst. Carl stepped forward to explain. "I found them. They came in through the back of the prison. Tyreese, Allen, Ben, and Sasha. They lost one of their group when they got here. I let them in and gave them a few supplies." Carl paused, "I figured it's what my dad would have done."

"We're not interrupting anything, are we?" the man that Glenn guessed was Tyreese asked through the barred door.

"No, no. You're fine," Carol replied.

"Then what exactly are you preparing weapons for?" the other older man asked, Allen.

"We're about to have a war on our hands. You want to take a stand with us or do you want to take your chances out there?" Carl took a few steps closer to them as he spoke.

The four looked at each other, confused. "What exactly do you mean by '_war_'?" Sasha questioned the kid.

* * *

Maggie's chest burned, her lungs felt like they were on fire. She ran as fast as her feet could carry her forward. All she could think about was getting back to the prison in one piece, seeing her father and sister, wrapping her arms around Glenn. She was glad that they were successful in freeing Daryl from Woodbury, but now they were all scattered throughout the woods running for their lives.

When the gunfire opened on them unexpectedly, they didn't have time to think. All they could do was run and unfortunately, they had gotten separated from each other. The thought crossed Maggie's mind: what if someone was captured again? What if someone was killed? What if she was the only one left?

Her thoughts were cut short as a vehicle had veered into her field of vision, cutting her off. She dug her feet into the ground to allow herself to stop as two men exited the vehicle in front of her. They had found her, and they were armed with heavy guns.

Her breath caught in her throat as she glanced down at her shaking hands. All she had was her little Walther P99 and a knife. Neither of them were an ideal weapon to have for multiple enemies. She heard footsteps from behind and quickly realized that she was cornered. There were two more guys who had closed in from behind her leaving her with nowhere to run.

She stared ahead at the man who seemed to step closer, a grin on his face. "I think the Governor will be pleased to have you back." He raised an eyebrow as his eyes traveled up and down her body slowly.

Maggie raised her pistol at the man but she heard distinct clicks from the three men surrounding her, telling her that they had their guns loaded and aimed. She bit her tongue before she slowly lowered her still shaking hands. She thought for sure that she was in the clear. She didn't really hear anything until these guys just seemed to come out of nowhere.

She watched the man in front of her, half way between the parked vehicle and herself. His grin quickly faded as a look of horror took over in seconds. Maggie felt like her stomach was up in her throat. Every fiber of her being was telling her to turn around, to see what this man was so afraid of. But she was too afraid to move.

And she didn't need to look. Seconds later, she heard a rustle in the leaves and gunfire rang out from right behind her. She quickly jumped to the ground and covered her head instinctually. She peaked her head up just enough to see the two men's bodies in front of her hit the ground, full of newly acquired bullet holes. When she could hear footsteps moving towards her, the leaves and twigs crunching growing louder, she decided to face her fear. She slowly got back to her feet as she turned to see the tall muscular man she least favored.

"C'mon, sweet cheeks. Ain't nobody ever taught ya how to fight?" Merle held one of the men's submachine guns in his left hand as he smiled down at her, his body towering hers.

"I can take care of myself," Maggie shot back at him. She wasn't sure why she suddenly felt so bitter. She wasn't sure if it was the nickname he had just given her or if it was because she was never going to forgive him for what he did to Glenn. But he had just saved her life.

"Yeah, it sure looked it. Grab one of them guns and git yer ass in gear. Ain't gon' do no harm with that toy o' yers," Merle nodded his head at her pistol. He walked forward and opened the driver's side door to the vehicle, glancing around.

Maggie kept an eye on him as she tucked her pistol into the back of her jeans, replaced her knife in its sheath, and picked up the gun that the man was carrying directly in front of her. She glanced back at the two men who were behind her. She noticed that Merle had taken the gun from the one to the right; he had crept up behind them and stabbed that bayonet attachment into his skull. That was what the man was so afraid of… Maggie didn't blame him.

"You think we could drive that back to the prison?" Maggie asked Merle as he stepped back and shut the door.

"Naw, it'd jus' draw more attention. Best ta jus' stay on foot," Merle looked at her and gave her a little smile. "I can see why the Asian likes ye. Feisty pair, the two of ya."

Maggie wasn't sure how to really interpret Merle. She wasn't sure if that was his way of trying to compliment her, or if he was just a creep when it came to women.

"Thanks for helping me," Maggie ignored him. She figured she at least owed him a thanks, though her voice didn't make it sound very sincere. It was a step closer to getting back to the prison safely. Since he had found her, they could at least stick together now. Someone having her back was better than no one, even if it was Merle Dixon.

"Don' git too warmed up ta me. Wouldn't want yer boyfriend ta git jealous," Merle winked at her as he chuckled, turning around to lead the way.

"Oh, this doesn't change anything, Dixon. Don't take my thanks as me warming up to you or you will be sorely let down," Maggie shook her head as she followed after him.

"Nothin' new there," Merle replied.

* * *

Daryl quickly realized that he wasn't too sure of his surroundings, other than the trees that he ran past and a few gun shots off in the distance. His head throbbed, affecting his vision and making him feel a bit dizzy and disoriented. He tried to shake it but that only made the pain worse.

A sudden wave of nausea hit him as he forced himself to stop running. He managed to prop his back up against a tree to try and catch his breath and recollect himself. With his migraine-like headache and the memories that kept flooding back to him subconsciously, he felt sick. As he stared down at his feet still breathing heavy he knew he had a concussion. His vision was out of whack and he just felt… different. But why did this come as a surprise to him? Slamming his head on the concrete floor wasn't exactly graceful, and that was probably what did him in.

He could hear the gunfire in the distance as he cursed under his breath. He still felt nauseous and his head was spinning, yet all he could think about was Merle. He tried to pick his brain apart, tried to figure out why being reunited with his brother was tearing away at him. He should be happy—he _was_ happy. But that wasn't completely winning it over for him.

Daryl looked up to Merle all his life; it was all he had ever done. Even though he was never really there for him, even though he didn't share the same beliefs as him—the smoking, the drugs, the drinking—Merle was still his brother, his blood. But there were a few select times that Merle had his back, a few times that he had actually treated him like a brother and showed him love. That was good enough for Daryl. It was good enough because Merle was the only good family experience that he had, the only love that he had ever received. So, Daryl couldn't help but feel protective of him just as Merle felt protective of him. He could see it in Merle's eyes when they were in that arena, he could hear it in his voice when he practically pleaded the Governor to stop beating him.

When Daryl thought about it, he had become a lot like his brother, like his old man. He didn't know how to reciprocate love and he didn't know how to protect someone without turning to violence. He had beat Randall on Hershel's farm, tortured that kid like it was nothing. And for what? Was he really just trying to protect the group at the cost of Randall's pain, or had he actually enjoyed it? Every punch that had collided with that boy's face, every kick that smashed that boy's side… his very own knife digging into the wound on his leg just to get some answers.

Daryl stretched his arms out behind him and hugged onto the tree, his fingers digging into the bark. He felt sick, the wave of nausea getting worse the more he let his thoughts take over. He shut his eyes as he tried to take a few deep breaths and exhale slowly. Now was certainly not the time to take a walk down memory lane.

The familiar low, guttural growls seemed to help snap him out of it. Shit, he was not about to become walker bait. He forced himself off of the tree and readied his crossbow. He still had a bit of a gap before the two geeks closed in on him, plenty of time to dispatch them… had he been in the right state of mind.

He fired a bolt at what he thought was the walker's head but ended up missing it entirely, hitting the walker behind it in the shoulder. The walker let out a growl in response once the bolt pierced through it, still dragging its feet forward and towards its prey. Daryl quickly threw his crossbow over his shoulder as it hung loosely by his side, stumbling backwards.

_Shit, shit, shit…_

His head pounded uncontrollably as the geeks moved in closer. As he drew his hunting knife and crouched down ready to attack he wished his vision would clear up. He knew he wouldn't stand a chance if he kept running; he'd either trip or pass out at this rate. He tried to stab the nearest walker as he felt the knife make impact, but he quickly realized that the knife had only penetrated its cheek rather than its skull, cutting through the skin much easier than the usual jab. With his knife stuck in its cheek, the dead creature swung its gnarly rotted hands out, reaching for him and successfully grabbing him by his left arm and shoulder, taking him down.

"Shit—" Daryl hit the ground on his back hard. The motion once again sent his head spinning as he wrestled with the walker, trying to keep its mouth away. He placed one hand on its neck as he grabbed his knife with the other. All this time in Woodbury, it was like he had forgotten about the walking dead. He grimaced as its saliva ran from its mouth and just barely missed his face. He had to bite his tongue and swallow whatever was about to come back up at the putrid smell of the dead thing's breath as he turned his head away, it lunging forward as he pressed it back. He finally was able to pull the knife out and plunge it into the skull with a sickening crunch. Why the hell did he let himself get separated from the others? He knew something like this would happen.

One walker left.

The next walker lunged forward now, Daryl having just enough time to shove the twice dead geek's arm into its mouth to stop it. He rolled to the side, opposite of the walker, and got back to his feet at a steady pace. He knew if he jumped up too fast he'd just be sitting on his ass again. He breathed heavy as he was drenched in sweat. He felt disgusting. He tried to remain focused on the last remaining threat that he was aware of at the moment. It stumbled towards him with a few quick strides and threw its arms up. His vision started to play tricks with him again as he was seeing double, taking a few steps back unsure of which one was the real geek.

A shot rang out as Daryl flinched, immediately grabbing his head with his left hand and ducking down as he watched the blood from the walker's skull splatter and its body fall at his feet. His grip on his hunting knife was tight, his right hand slightly raised in defense. He glanced over to where he heard the gun shot ring out, his ears having never failed him when it came to directions. He stared back at his savior, quite baffled at the figure his eyes were locked on to.

* * *

**Cliff hanger! Sorry, I'm such a booger. ;) Any guesses on who Daryl's savior is? Maybe it's a friend, maybe it's a foe. You never know…**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of The Walking Dead or its characters. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**NOTES:** I apologize: 1) I didn't update as quick as I usually do. 2) This chapter is a bit slow. But it's longer than usual. Maybe that makes up for everything else? I don't know. Hopefully I didn't leave anything out on this one. Reviews are much appreciated. xoxo

* * *

"I never thought I'd see the day that I saved Daryl Dixon's ass," Andrea smiled as she walked towards him. The pale blonde clicked the safety on her pistol and tucked it in the back of her jeans.

Daryl managed a small smile in return, "Thought I saw yer face in that arena… Didn' really pick up on it." He muttered, "Good ta know yer still alive an' kickin'."

"A simple thanks would have been nice," Andrea looked him up and down, slightly frowning. "You okay?... "

"Yeah, peachy… And thanks," Daryl replied. The dizziness was finally beginning to settle down as he could see straight. He wiped his hunting knife off on his pants and stashed it back away in its sheath. He bent down and pulled his bolt from the walker's shoulder that he had shot. After he inspected it for damage, realizing it was fine other than the blood and gore stuck to it, he attempted to wipe it off a bit on his pants as well and stored it back on the crossbow.

"I couldn't help but notice you slightly missed your target. Does that just come with old age, or…?"

Daryl shot Andrea a look and realized that she was smiling at him, holding back a laugh. "Can we jus' go? 'Fore I have another one of them spells."

Andrea frowned, "What happened in there? Back in Woodbury. Why were you there?"

"S'long as you can keep focused at the task at hand an' walk at the same time, I'll give ya an answer… " Daryl shouldered his crossbow and glanced around for anyone or anything that could be lurking in the shadows. When nothing seemed to catch his eye, he continued heading in the direction towards the prison. He wondered if everyone else was faring better than he was. He hoped so. "Don' have time to waste jus' standin' around."

"I can do that," Andrea nodded. Her mind was exploding with questions. She had been separated from the group for so long. But she had to keep an open eye. The sun was just above the horizon as early morning had finally peaked. There was no more hiding in the dark of the night now.

"Rick, Oscar, Michonne, an' I snuck in last night. Michonne took off on us. Oscar got shot and went down. We was tryin'a get Maggie an' Glenn back. Michonne told us she saw Merle take 'em when they was on a supply run," Daryl briefly explained.

"Michonne was with you guys? And wait, Maggie and Glenn?—Merle _took_ them? _What_?" Andrea shook her head and squint her eyes at Daryl, confusion written all over her face. Even more questions flooded Andrea's poor mind.

"Found her at the gates of the prison. She had a basket full of baby formula—s'dead give away that somethin' was up." Daryl watched the ground for a moment, staring at his feet with each step. He wiped his arm across his forehead and brought his attention back to eye level. "All I can say is that your Governor is demented. Had my brother workin' for 'im."

_Baby formula? Did Lori have the baby?_ Andrea shook her head again, "I—I don't understand. Woodbury is supposed to be safe. Philip would never… " She paused, "Are you saying that he's behind all of this?"

"_Philip_?" Daryl raised an eyebrow, actually making an effort to stop walking and stare at her. "Jesus, woman! Don' tell me yer his bitch!"

"Excuse me?" Andrea stopped and stared back at him, her hands meeting her hips. "I'm sorry, I just don't think he would do something like this. Not unless he had a reason to. That man has a heart and he's doing his best to keep the town safe."

"Yeah, and I'm a fuckin' garden of joy," Daryl scoffed. "Well don' go gettin' yer panties in a bunch. Man has no heart. Not one like I'd ever seen. He's out ta kill." He continued walking as he could hear Andrea's footsteps follow along behind him. The silence only meant one thing to Daryl. It told him that Andrea was trying to cool off, if she was anything still the same since he saw her last. She was definitely hot-blooded and she usually spoke out of turn without thinking, much like Merle, and himself from time to time.

"Why would he want you dead? I saw Michonne. She attacked him. She stabbed a piece of glass into his eye for crying out loud. And you're telling me that _he_ is the crazy one?" Andrea retorted.

Daryl made an audible _pfft_ before he continued, "You obviously know the woman, considerin' the way ya talk 'bout her. Why don' you explain _yer_ so-called story? _Philip_ is not some guy I would take lightly." He spat his name in distaste. So Michonne had taken off to play a little one on one with the Governor. This was news to Daryl. He could tell Andrea must know Michonne too. Something just didn't seem right about the whole scenario as the pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fit together.

* * *

"We should probably settle in deeper, into the prison to where it's safer, more secure," Glenn drug the bag of guns that they had out into the open from the cell that they were sitting in. "Things were pretty crazy in Woodbury and we were lucky to get out of there alive. I want to do as Rick suggested, I want to be prepared. But I don't want anyone getting hurt. Or worse… "

Hershel and Beth stared at Glenn as he spoke while Axel walked over closer to everyone. "You serious? We're really going to have a war?" Axel watched as Glenn handed an assault rifle to Carl.

"It sounds like it," Glenn sighed.

"Hand me one of those," Carol stood by Glenn and Carl, nodding her head down at the bag of guns.

Glenn looked at her, a look that may have suggested that she seemed crazy, but he didn't say anything. He bent down and picked up another assault rifle and handed it to the woman. "You know how to use one? I mean, I know you used one before but—" Glenn was tripping over his words as usual. He could never seem to find the right words without somehow adding an insult somewhere.

"Daryl showed me a little bit. Of course, that was with the gun he took with him to Woodbury. Should all be about the same though, right?" Carol looked the gun over, turning it around in her hands and getting a feel for it. It was a little heavier than she had expected. She remembered firing down at the walkers from that tower with Daryl. That was the first time she really used anything like this, an assault rifle. And she had come close to hitting Rick… She was used to using pistols. Daryl had a particular pistol of his own that he had given to Carol and showed her how to use it. He was concerned for her well-being and he thought she needed to learn how to operate a gun safely, had a time come when no one would be there to protect her. She was glad she got over her fear and cooperated with him now because everything he taught her after leaving the farm was going to come in handy. Before the world ended, she would have never dreamed of touching a gun let alone using one. It was funny how things changed.

"Beth, Hershel, I think you two should stay in here at all times. And keep my sister with you. When the time comes, we can give you some guns," Carl instructed. Beth nodded and smiled, which in turn made Carl grin a little. He was willing to do anything that he could to keep them safe.

"We can help," Tyreese spoke up for his group of survivors from beyond the barred prison door. "We don't have much for weapons, but we'd be willing to help out if you'd like."

"Man, don't volunteer us. I'd like to actually stand a chance in surviving. Not going off and fighting other living people. This isn't what Donna would have wanted. This is ridiculous and it certainly isn't our problem. Let them handle it on their own," Allen groaned.

The group exchanged glances, leaving Carl and Glenn to stare back at the other small group. Glenn slowly nodded, "I think every little bit would help out greatly. If you're considering."

Michonne folded her arms in front of her chest as she took a few steps forward, a scowl on her face. "You're telling me that you are just going to hand guns over to these people? You shoved a gun to my face when you brought me in here."

"It was for the safety of the group," Carl replied.

"My offer still stands. If you have more than enough guns, I will gladly help you. You were kind enough to let us in here and provide us with some supplies and I am thankful for that," Tyreese explained. Sasha shook her head and sighed. It didn't appear that anyone in Tyreese's group was too thrilled about him volunteering to help out.

Carl stared at them for a moment before he walked over to the door and unlocked it. He pushed the door open and nodded, "You try any funny stuff and we won't think twice about killing you." He said it with such a monotonous tone that it actually sent a chill down Tyreese's spine. The boy seemed way too young to be speaking the way he did. But it was the world they lived in now.

Carl walked Tyreese over towards the guns with his hand on rested on his Browning BDA pistol at his side. He wasn't planning on taking any chances and he hoped they took him at his word. Allen, Ben, and Sasha hung back a bit.

Michonne rolled her eyes while shaking her head. She exited the room through the now open door while she had the chance, walking till she was out of sight from where everyone stood inside the cell block. Glenn had noticed this and he decided to follow after her, keeping an assault rifle for himself in his hands.

"What do you want?" Michonne spat, her back still facing towards him. She slowly turned to face him.

"I want to know what you think. About Woodbury," Glenn stared at her, trying to see passed the constant scowl she wore on her face. He wondered what happened to her to make her the way she was. He had never seen a woman seem so tough and absolutely fearless.

"What for? You looking for something specific?" Michonne eased up a bit, her tone not as angry.

"Not exactly, I guess. I just thought that maybe since you said that you'd been there—" Glenn was cut off.

"The place gives me the creeps. I wanted no part in it. Knew from the moment I met that Governor he was no good," the words rolled off of her lips as her eyes narrowed.

"You think we stand a chance? What if we took them by surprise? They're supposed to be launching some sort of attack on us, what if we attack them first?" Glenn felt like he struck something, a good idea. He pressed on, "We could take it. We could take on Woodbury right now and we could end this."

"I think whatever plan you've got working its way up there is foolish. Just end up getting yourself killed," Michonne crossed her arms.

"We have to do _something_! I can't just stand back and wait for them to attack us. We're missing Maggie, Daryl, and Rick. We need them. We need to do something about all of this. I just don't think it'd be wise for them to bring the war here. Not if we're going to stay," Glenn protested.

"Shut your mouth and think for a minute, would you?" Michonne's patience was being tested. "You can't just go running out there swinging your arms around. You need a plan if you're going to carry this through."

"I know, I know. Fine. I'll work something out. We can talk to the others. With Tyreese's group , it just makes us that much stronger. I think we stand a chance here. We just need a plan… "

* * *

Merle figured he had no choice in saving the girl. If he was going to play nice and stay with this sorry excuse for a group, he'd have to start somewhere. It's not like he had many other options. The men were far too easy to kill since they had been distracted keeping her pinned in, it was like a written invitation. And if he hadn't killed them when he did, they could have come after him next. So, it was a two for one deal in a way.

He walked along side the young woman—was her name Maggie? She had that chink for a boyfriend, Glenn. He kind of appreciated her even though he knew nothing about her. The way she was ready to defend herself and Glenn at any cost. There aren't many women like that nowadays, nor were there really ever. She wasn't just another dumb bimbo.

"Not much for talking?" Maggie spoke up, filling the silence.

"Why ye say that?" Merle glanced over at her. She didn't even bother to look over at him.

"I'm not one for awkward silences. Talking will just make it feel like time is going faster and I just want to get back to the prison." Maggie paused. "Daryl's pretty quiet. You just pegged me as a loudmouth."

Daryl was _always_ the quiet one. _Daryl_.

Merle felt a little bit of regret when he thought about the past, the way things were and the way he treated his baby brother when they were growing up. But he realized something. When they were standing in that arena, Daryl never faltered. Merle could only assume that was due to him and the way he had taught his brother to be a man. After all those years. Daryl was always a lot more emotional and Merle hated that, beat it out of him just like their parents had done to him. Maybe he didn't really regret it too much. It kept him alive, didn't it? He wanted Daryl to become more like him, and really... Daryl kind of did.

"S' that so?" Merle grinned at the last comment. "Well, I'll give ye that. Ye ain't as dumb as ye look."

This got Maggie to shoot a glare at him, "Don't start in with me on intelligence."

"I wasn' the one standin' around with my finger up my ass back there," Merle replied.

Maggie opened her mouth to shoot a response back at him but stopped short. Her eyes were locked on to something just off in the distance as Merle turned to follow her gaze. There were a handful of walkers that were working their way towards them.

"Time ta redeem yerself, sweet cheeks." Merle made sure his bayonet attachment was secure as he tossed the submachine gun over his shoulder and allowing it to hang loosely by the strap attached to it. There was no sense in using their guns if they didn't have to. It would only draw more walkers and give away their location to any humans looking for them. He walked straight towards the small herd as Maggie followed his lead, counting six.

_Piece of cake_.

* * *

Rick charged his way through a few walkers, hacking away at their dead and decomposing bodies with the machete. He wasn't very pleased with how everything was turning out. He had hoped to stick together with everyone seeing as there was safety in numbers. He was just barely able to avoid being shot at numerous times, outrunning the gunfire and making a clean getaway.

He brought the machete down as hard as he could on the next walker's head, much similar to the way he had killed Tomas in the prison. He pulled the machete back and sent a kick to its chest as it flopped to the forest floor. That was the last of them that he could see nearby, but yet he could still hear footsteps not too far behind him. Footsteps that were too much in sync to be a walker, footsteps that belonged to more than one _person_.

Rick immediately grabbed the Colt Python from his belt and turned to face the threat with the revolver pointed at eye level. He sighed with relief when he realized he was looking back at Maggie and Merle.

"Thank God you're alright. We all got separated," Maggie spoke first.

"Yeah, I was worried. Definitely didn't expect for things to turn out like this," Rick slide the Colt Python back into its holster. He glanced at Merle and looked him up and down. "I don't suppose you guys ran into Daryl?"

"We were hoping you did," Maggie shook her head.

Rick sighed, "Alright… There's not much we can really do at this point. We just need to head back to the prison. If Daryl is still out there, that's the first place he'll try to go. We can't risk running around in these woods any longer than we have to. He'll be alright." He didn't know that for sure, but he had to convince them and himself of his words.

"Sounds 'bout like ye. Leavin' 'im to fend on 'is own," Merle snapped.

"You want to run around these woods by yourself with Woodbury's men fully equipped and walkers galore, be my guest. I'm not going to risk our lives when I know Daryl is well capable of taking care of himself." Rick felt a bit more convinced of his words now. Maybe the more he said it out loud, the better it would make him feel.

"Ye afraid of a few pussy asses an' walkers? Man, I'd hate ta break it to ya Sheriff, but you's not such a great choice o' a leader," Merle chuckled. "Hell, I cut off my own damned _hand_ an' I ain't afraid of them."

"You're lucky that I am even talking to you. If it were fully up to me, I would have left you for dead back at Woodbury. Don't think that you're getting a warm welcoming at the prison. I'm not so sure I even want you there at all." Rick finally spoke the words that had been crossing his mind since seeing Merle. He knew it would end up like this, that Merle would be tagging along. He couldn't risk the safety of the group by bringing this estranged man back. The only reason he couldn't bring himself to ditch Merle now was because of Daryl. He wished he knew how to truly handle the situation.

"Please just stop. We can talk this out once we get back," Maggie interjected. "Merle did save me back there. A few men from Woodbury had me cornered and if it wasn't for him… I probably wouldn't be standing here right now."

Rick stared at Merle at those words, "This true?"

"That so fuckin' hard ta believe?" Merle shot back.

Rick shook his head. Damn it. It wasn't making his decisions any easier. Merle saving Maggie just didn't seem real. Maggie wouldn't lie about something like that, and she had been the one to bring it up first. It wasn't a show that Merle was trying to put on. Merle had actually done something good.

"Alright, we'll talk this over later."

* * *

"What're you doin' out here anyways? Shouldn't ya be tucked away in the safety of your new suburban town?" Daryl shot a glance over at Andrea waiting for her response. So far his head had been holding up, which he was very thankful for.

"Screw you," Andrea spat. "When I saw you in that arena, I was scared to death. I thought you were going to die. And when I got the chance to get out of there, I wanted to try and find you, to talk to you. Is that so wrong?"

"T'is if yer gonna go runnin' back with yer tail between yer legs," Daryl chewed on the inside of his mouth. Most of the time he never realized he was doing it. It was just a hard habit to break.

Andrea sighed, "If what you're saying is true, if Philip isn't what he seems… I'm not going back. The only reason I would even think about going back is to try and sabotage him. But I doubt that he'd even trust me if he had any idea that I talked to you." She paused, "I was really hoping Woodbury was it for me. It just seemed safe. Like everything was normal again. I guess I let myself get too wrapped up in false hope."

"That's one way of lookin' at it," Daryl mumbled.

They continued to walk in silence and Daryl was thankful for that. He was glad to see Andrea alive and well but his head was still slightly pounding and talking wasn't something he was up for doing at the moment. He noticed the gunfire in the distance had completely faded now. He wondered if Woodbury had retreated.

"Walkers."

Daryl looked over at Andrea and noticed she was staring over at three approaching geeks, her gun raised. He quickly reached his hand out before she could pull the trigger and pushed the barrel of the pistol down. "Conserve yer ammo. Use that thing now and you'll attract everyone and _thing_ to us."

Andrea sighed, defeated. "Right… " She tucked the pistol back away and pulled a screwdriver from her back pocket. Daryl couldn't help but let out a small laugh as she raised an eyebrow at him. "What? Something funny?"

"Nah, just remind me not ta get caught with you in the end-of-the-world apocalypse. You an' yer damn screwdriver…" Daryl shook his head and pulled his knife from off of his belt while swinging his crossbow onto his back. He walked towards the first geek since they were a bit spaced apart, grabbing it by its shoulder and jamming the blade of his knife through its temple. He pulled the knife out of its head with a squelch and took a few steps back to allow the decaying body to hit the ground. He went after the last walker since Andrea was stabbing the second one through the eye with her screwdriver. It was another quick kill as he thrust the knife into its head and received the same reaction.

"Just be happy I didn't shoot you again," Andrea scrunched her face as she wiped the guts on her pants from off of the screwdriver.

"_You_ oughta be happy ya didn't shoot me, or else I woulda killed ya," Daryl wiped his knife on his pants and replaced it back into its sheath. They walked a little further before Daryl thought he picked up on something. He could hear the same clumsy footsteps that belonged to walkers nearby. Andrea was talking to him again, what she was saying he had no idea. He turned his head to look behind them and bit the side of his mouth.

_Well… Shit._

He was staring back at a small herd of walkers, tripping over each other and coming right at them. He had no clue where they had come from. He could only assume that all of the ruckus they had created, as well as the others, it must have brought their attention this way.

* * *

Glenn and Michonne were standing around outside of the prison, trying to think through a plan before something caught their eyes. They exchanged glances before running to the gates and securing it behind them as they ran towards the figures. Glenn could make out Maggie, and Rick, and… Merle?

"What the hell is he doing here?!—" Glenn shifted the assault rifle in his hands, slightly pointing it towards Merle. Rick and Maggie immediately held their hands up to stop him, which made him even more confused. Why was Maggie protecting Merle?

"Not now—Is Daryl back yet?" Rick looked back and forth between the two and it was easy to see the answer was no.

"Great, he's not with you guys? What the hell happened back there? And seriously—_Merle_?" Glenn looked to Maggie, hoping for an explanation. He wanted answers _now_.

"Watch yer tone. It ain't like I'm standin' here er nothin'," Merle stared at him. Michonne and Glenn had a fixed glare.

"I said not now," Rick repeated himself. "We can talk once we're back inside the prison gates."

"Sounds real warmin'," Merle muttered. "Home sweet home."

Glenn shot another glare at the man. How could Rick just shrug this off? They couldn't let Merle join them. Not after everything he did. Who in their right mind would even be for him staying? Rick had to be doing it for Daryl, what else. But even Maggie threw her hands up to stop him. Was he missing something?

They closed the gates up behind them upon entering the site of the prison and walked a little ways up the grassy incline. Merle seemed to be inspecting the place, glancing around and taking in the sight of the guard towers and fenced in area. Glenn felt a tug on his hand as he noticed it was Maggie. She led him a few feet away and spoke to him in a hushed whisper while Rick, Merle, and Michonne continued walking.

"I know what it looks like. I promise you I feel the same way. It makes me very uncomfortable with him here, but there isn't much we can do. He's Daryl's brother. We can't just kill him. And we can't just push him away."

"Why the hell not?" Glenn whispered back, his voice a little harsh.

"Because he could kill us. And because he actually saved me," Maggie's voice had dropped even lower, Glenn straining to hear the last few words come out of her mouth.

"He saved you?" He stared at her in disbelief. He wasn't even sure what to think.

Maggie nodded, "So… I know this sucks. But let's just try to work with him. We'll get something figured out. Rick won't let him stay if he could be a threat."

"But he is a—"

Maggie placed her finger on Glenn's lips to silence him. "Please," she closed her eyes. "I know this isn't the most ideal situation, but we don't have much of a choice right now. Let's just wait for Daryl to get here and we can really see where to go from there."

Glenn could only stare at her until she leaned into him and kissed him, snapping him out of his daze. He placed his hand on the back of her head and pressed his lips against hers. It was as if he could just feel the anger melt away at her touch. As long as he had her, he could let the situation slide for a few minutes.

* * *

"The prison ain't too far from here. Think yer up for runnin'?" Daryl asked Andrea as he could see a few walkers begin to close in from their sides now.

"Sure?" Andrea looked over at Daryl confused. Then she noticed the walkers closing in around them. "Oh-!"

"Yeah, let's go," Daryl nodded and took off running at a steady pace, Andrea by his side. As they began to run it felt as though the walkers had picked up their pace as well. But just as Daryl had told Andrea, the prison wasn't far, and he was right. It was just in view as they ran down the slight slope that led up to the gates. Breathing heavy, trying to catch their breath, they smacked up against the gate and began to rattle it, hoping to grab someone's attention.

"Rick! Glenn!—C'mon, somebody's gotta be watchin'!" Daryl called out. It suddenly occurred to him that it was possible neither of them made it back yet.

"We've got company," Andrea placed her back up to the chain link fence lined with barbed wire along the top as she raised her pistol once more. When Daryl looked back, he realized she was right. Stabbing them in the head was no longer an option. It would put them at too much of a risk with this many swarming around. It was best to take them out using distance, though gunfire was not an attractive choice in the matter.

Daryl raised his crossbow as they were cornered against the fence now. He only had six bolts and he had to make each one count.

* * *

**The end is near. It's in my grasp. My goal is to maybe make this a 10 chapter story, just to let everyone know. It might end up being 9 unfortunately, I'll have to see. If I stick with my plan, things are going to get intense and I will do my best at capturing the intensity. But thank you for taking the time to read this and any form of feedback is greatly appreciated! **


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of The Walking Dead or its characters. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**NOTES:** I hope I'm doing this story justice since it was originally meant to be a one-shot. I've reread over this so many times and I still feel like I left something out. Send me a pm if there's something I missed or if there's something you would have liked to have seen! This chapter is going to be a bit of a disaster—for the characters. Confrontations galore! Enjoy… Haha. And the nasty side of Merle might be unleashed a bit. Oh! And I do have to say, there are a lot of squiggly red lines when I try to type like Merle speaks. It humors me. Carry on!

Quick shout out to MollyMayhem84 and WTFdoUwantNOW. You guys are the best! Check out their stories too! Really good stuff!

* * *

"Hang on!—"

Daryl was about to shoot a bolt through a walker's head as it was creeping closer and closer with each step. Andrea had yet to fire as well as they both glanced back at the voice. Rick, Merle, Glenn, Maggie, and Michonne were all running for the gate. Daryl turned his attention back to the herd. If they timed this just right, he wouldn't have to use any of his bolts.

He could hear the rattling of the chains on the gate as Rick fumbled with them before he could get the key in to unlock it. As soon as he heard the chain unravel and hit the ground, he grabbed Andrea by her arm and threw her around him and inside the perimeter and followed her. Glenn and Rick slammed the gate shut as Daryl bent over to pick up the chain and secured it, Rick locking it just in time as the walkers slammed up against the fence. Their hands were outstretched in front of them, some squeezing through the holes of the chain link fencing, growling.

"Talk about an adrenaline rush," Glenn breathed a sigh of relief, wiping his arm across his forehead.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Maggie threw her arms around Daryl unexpectedly, embracing him in a hug. Daryl flinched at the action and slightly looked down at her, curious as to why she was touching him. He wasn't a big fan of hugs. In fact, he couldn't really recall a time when someone even gave him one.

"And… Andrea!" Maggie looked over at her, shocked. She hugged her next, Andrea returning it and smiling.

Rick placed a hand on Daryl's shoulder, bringing his attention to him. He looked Rick in the eyes as Rick nodded at him. The man had learned pretty fast that Daryl wasn't much for talking, but his silence spoke volumes. Daryl slowly nodded in return at the understanding that that was Rick's way of showing he was happy to see him alive. It was better than an unexpected hug.

"Andrea…" Rick shook his head as he approached her, a grin on his face. He even hugged the woman. "You have no idea how great it is to see you again. When we lost you back on Hershel's farm—"

"It's okay. I don't blame anyone. You had to do what was best for the group," Andrea smiled at Rick once she let go of the hug. She switched her gaze over to Michonne, who wore an incredulous look on her face.

"We thought we saw you go down..." Glenn spoke, his voice rather quiet.

Andrea shook her head, "I might have, but I was okay. That day is a blur to me now. After everything we've been through…" She looked at Michonne. "I have Michonne to thank for my life. She found me after the walkers blew through. She saved me actually. More than a few times."

Rick and Glenn seemed to look amused at hearing this. Daryl just nodded to himself, finally realizing how the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Merle couldn't care less about the story or reunion as he just decided to stay back and mind his own business, which was shocking in itself.

Michonne narrowed her eyes at Andrea. There was some obvious tension between the two women. Daryl made a mental note to steer clear of them. He didn't need to know what happened between them, he just knew not to ever be caught between the feuding women.

"Looks like you two might have some catching up to do?" Glenn took a couple steps back after realizing what he had just said. He did not have a way with words, that was for sure. "Sorry…"

"And we will respect that and give you your space," Rick interjected. "Besides, we have our own matters to discuss."

"Real smooth transition," Merle spoke up. "Hey, it's a reunion for me an' Blondie too. Haven't seen each other since we's left Woodbury."

"Because I'm so thrilled to see you here," Andrea turned her back to him and walked off. Michonne sighed and went after her.

"Well, somebody's PMSing," Merle grinned at his own joke and when he didn't receive the reaction he was hoping for from the others, he threw his arms up. "C'mon! I ain't the only one's gotta be thinkin' it." He glanced over at Daryl as Daryl only shook his head.

"We were waiting for you to get here. Hoping you could shine a little light on our situation," Rick looked to Daryl.

Daryl glanced back and forth between Rick and his brother. What the hell was he supposed to say? Truthfully, he'd rather take Rick's side over Merle's any day. But that didn't mean he wanted to completely desert his brother and give him the cold shoulder. Rick was far more level-headed than Merle ever was or could ever be. He couldn't just come right out and say that though. Not that blunt. And certainly not in front of Merle.

"What'dya want me to say?" Daryl finally asked Rick.

* * *

Merle found the entire situation to be rather amusing. He thought it was even funny that Andrea and Michonne stalked off away from them to settle their differences, or whatever the hell women did. They never seemed to get along in Woodbury. They seemed like they didn't even know each other. Michonne left and Andrea didn't even bother to go after her. Merle thought that was interesting, but he was happy it was the way it was. That dumb nigger bitch cost Merle everything. If she could've just kept her nose out of Woodbury, he'd still be in the clear. He could be kicked back and relaxed, drinking a beer and playing like he was friends with Philip. He wouldn't be standing next to _Rick Grimes_.

He had Daryl now. That was the bright side.

Or maybe he didn't. He could see it in the way he looked back and forth between him and Rick. The damn boy had gone emotional on him again. He wasn't thinking straight. He'd been with these people for so long now that he became attached to them. What happened to sticking with your kin?

"Go on, boy. Spit it out. Whatcha got ta say? Whose side er ya on?" Merle couldn't help but ask. He regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. He was _doubting_ his baby brother. Surely asking it aloud made him seem pathetic for even letting the thought cross his mind.

Daryl shook his head, "It's not a matter of sides. We're all in this together."

"You're sure that's a good idea?" Rick placed his hands on his hips. He was talking like Merle wasn't standing right there in front of him. The one thing that pissed him off more than anything.

"It's not an idea. It's what we're doin'." Daryl wrapped his fingers around the strap to his crossbow hanging on his shoulder as he changed his stance a bit, leaning more on his right leg. Merle picked up on it though. He knew nobody took him as an observant person, but he knew his brother. That was fidgeting—Daryl was fidgeting. He wasn't being completely honest about the situation. Merle could feel a bit of anger boiling up, clenching his teeth to try and keep his mouth shut.

He used this anger and put it to use. He walked back over to the fence without a word and started stabbing the bayonet attachment through the holes and nailing walkers right between the eyes, one by one. Their constant growling and moaning, pounding against the fence and causing it to clang, was driving him nuts anyways.

"…You have anything to say about this, Merle?" Rick's voice brought him back.

"Yeah, why don'tcha go fuck yerself," Merle spat.

"I'm trying to have a calm discussion here. You testing my patience isn't going to help any," Rick replied.

Merle thrust the blade of his bayonet into one last walker before he turned around and faced them again. Glenn and Maggie had backed up a bit, giving the three of them some space. And like it was on cue, the rest of the audience seemed to come strolling out of the prison. Surely they all had a nice strong opinion as well.

Merle snorted, "An' ya think standin' here an' accusin' me of shit's gonna be better?" He took a few steps closer to Rick, just inches from his face. "Ya might wanna jus' bite yer tongue on this one, _Sheriff._"

The next thing Merle even registered was that he could feel someone lay a hand on his right arm, maybe as a gesture to back down. He wasn't sure because the moment he felt the touch, he whipped around and threw his left fist and it made impact. It was then that he realized he had just punched his own brother in the face.

"Jesus Christ, Merle—" Daryl narrowed his eyes at him as he wiped his hand just under his nose. Just like old times; all it took was one punch and he had a nosebleed. Merle didn't necessarily mean to punch him. It was just instinct, a reflex when he felt someone grab him.

"Maybe ye should think next time. Ya know I don't like being touched," Merle sneered.

What happened next came as a surprise to Merle. Daryl threw a punch in return, landing it right in the middle of his face. Damn, his baby brother was full of surprises anymore. He took a step back from the impact and he could feel the cut on his nose begin to bleed once again.

"Enough!" Rick stepped between the two brothers and put his arms up to push them both back, his hands on their chests. Merle had a feeling he was waiting for Daryl to strike back before he tried to push them apart. Apparently he had seen it coming before Merle.

The rest of the group seemed to join them now as Merle directed his attention towards them. He recognized a few familiar faces from the quarry but he noticed the majority of them must have become a part of the group after they left Atlanta. He recognized the kid, Grimes' son. And he recognized the ol' woman who had a prick for a husband and a whiny daughter. Was that everyone from the quarry that was left?

"You people sure have depleted fast," Merle remarked. He didn't receive any comments in return. The two faces he recognized only stared back at him in what seemed to be horror. The others didn't seem too bothered.

* * *

"I am truly sorry, Michonne. Really, I am. I never meant for things to end up like this. It's just that… I was really hoping that Woodbury could have been our dream. It's what we always wanted. To feel safe. I should have listened to you, but I didn't want to give up," Andrea tried to explain to Michonne. She was glad that she followed her when she walked away from the others. They were still in sight, but out of earshot.

"You were about to shoot me because I harmed your precious Governor," Michonne crossed her arms in front of her chest. She didn't seem amused to say the least.

"I know, and I'm sorry. That was a dumb move on my behalf and I wasn't thinking straight. It didn't even really register in my mind that it was you until I stood there for a few moments looking like an idiot. I would have never shot you though. I just want you to know that." Andrea kept trying. She wasn't lying. Michonne had become her savior and best friend over the past few months. As much as she hated to admit it, she had relied heavily on her to get her through the winter. Especially when she had come down really sick, to the point where she didn't think she was even going to make it till spring. "Can you ever forgive me?"

Michonne stood there for a moment, silent and staring back at her. Then she slowly nodded in response. "I forgive you. But only because it's you. This doesn't exactly mean all the tension is gone though."

"Right, that's understandable… Thank you," Andrea smiled at her. Michonne forced a small smile in return. At least it was a start; they were on the right track to getting back to the way things used to be. And hopefully, things would be even better now that they had found Andrea's old group.

It was then that Andrea heard bickering coming from the others as she glanced over and saw Rick standing between the Dixons. She noticed the others must have come outside too, seeing a few familiar faces and a few new ones. She sighed and shook her head. She had a feeling things weren't going to go so smoothly with Merle now a part of the group again too.

She hesitated but decided to join everyone else. Michonne followed her lead as they stood just off to the side. For the moment, it seemed like everyone had calmed down. Now that they were closer, Andrea noticed both of the Dixon brothers were sporting a bloody nose. It seemed about right.

"And those two are brothers?" Michonne questioned, her voice only loud enough to where Andrea could hear her.

Andrea nodded, "Unfortunately, yes. They don't exactly have a normal relationship, if that's what you're wondering."

* * *

Rick did his best at calming the two brothers and making sure neither of them threw anymore fists. He wasn't sure if Daryl would have normally punched Merle in return, but he was glad to see that he did. At least he wasn't too afraid to stand up to him.

"Good, I'm glad everyone's out here." Rick looked over at everyone. Everyone was accounted for, except for Hershel and Judith. Hershel was a good man; he had been taking care of Judith while everyone else carried on with their own tasks. He felt sorry for the old man because he wasn't able to get around like he used to. He chopped off his leg and just to think about it made Rick feel a little sick to his stomach. He had to remind himself that those actions are what saved his life though. Beth and Carol had been helping with Judith as well, and he was very thankful. But before he continued, he noticed a few new faces among his people. "…Who are you?"

The black male stepped forward, "Name's Tyreese. If I'm not mistaken, your son is the one who helped us out. I want to repay our debts for the help that was given to us. I want to contribute." He was rather tall and had a strong frame; his arms visibly toned from the sight of the wife beater that he was wearing. "This is Allen, his son Ben, and my sister Sasha. They're here to make a contribution as well."

"Yeah…" Allen muttered under his breath.

Rick nodded, "Alright. I guess it's… nice to meet you. Thank you for offering to help." He looked over at Carl and Carl only nodded. There were a few words that Rick would like to say to his son about letting these strangers join them without his consent, but it'd have to wait.

"Great, more niggers to add to the bunch. Jus' what we all needed," Merle shook his head.

"Excuse me? You have a problem?" Sasha stepped forward now, her eyes narrowed.

"I told you this was a bad idea," Allen added.

"Jus' keep yer mouth shut, Merle," Daryl snapped. "We have enough problems without you tryin'a make more."

"Ye don't say? Does that include Woodbury?" Merle snickered.

"Yeah, and if you never would have taken us, we wouldn't be having this problem!" Maggie joined in, her voice slightly raised. Glenn kept a hold of her by her arms, keeping her safe against his chest.

"Ohh, so it's all _Merle's_ fault. None a ya wanna take the blame for yer own actions?" Merle retorted. "All I wanted was fer ya to take me to my brother. Ya didn' listen very well now did ya?"

"We weren't about to lead you back here. And I think it's pretty obvious why," Glenn replied.

Rick was about to speak up again, to try and settle everyone down. Things were getting out of hand with everyone yelling and pointing fingers. He couldn't think straight. He didn't know everything that happened but he didn't need everyone to start falling apart now.

"It ain't like he's gonna go runnin' back. Why the hell we makin' such a big deal outta nothin'?" Daryl put his foot forward, backing Merle up.

"He could kill us," Carol folded her arms. She slowly dropped her head and stared down at the ground at her words.

"We are all about to have a war on our hands, and if I'm not mistaken, that means we need to all work _together_. Not fight with each other," Rick spoke over everyone. He hoped Daryl's comment didn't mean he was taking Merle's side.

"Do you see what you're getting us into, Tyreese?" Allen muttered under his breath. "These people don't even have it together."

There was a little more bickering back and forth, everyone's words becoming inaudible to Rick at this point. Daryl and Merle stood side by side, both of them arguing and pointing fingers. Beth moved closer to Maggie and Glenn. Andrea and Michonne stood off to the side. Everyone else just seemed to stand there in a straight line, forming a half circle around everyone. There wasn't one person who wasn't trying to voice his or her opinion at the same time as everyone else. It was absolute chaos. It was a nightmare.

"ENOUGH!" Rick finally cracked, yelling loud and clear over top of everyone. This immediately silenced the group as they all turned to look at him.

The silence hung in the air for a moment. Everyone resorted to either staring down at their own feet or glancing back and forth at each other.

Daryl shook his head and sighed. "C'mon, Merle."

"What? Ye givin' up?" Merle grinned. "But y'all were just warmin' up to me."

"We need to talk. In private," Daryl explained. "Now."

"I ain't yer bitch. Ya got somethin' ta say, say it right here," Merle demanded.

Daryl narrowed his eyes at his brother and turned his back to him. He began to walk away from the group without another word. Merle hesitated for a moment, shook his head, and followed after him. He mumbled something under his breath, incoherently.

Everyone still remained silent for a moment as they could hear the brothers' footsteps trail off. As they left, it felt like all the tension left with them. It was almost suffocating.

"Well… That works," Maggie spoke.

Beth threw her arms around her sister and hugged her, thankful that she was back and safe. Her, Glenn, and Maggie stayed together and formed their own small conversation, most likely Beth asking them what happened. Carol made her way over to Andrea and hugged her. The look on her face suggested that she was shocked to see her. Axel stood with Tyreese and his group. Carl approached Rick, his Sheriff hat still a little too big on his head as it covered his face with a shadow.

"I know you're gonna want to lecture me about what I did, but I think they're good people. I kept them locked up so they couldn't do anything. Tyreese offered to help us almost immediately. He seems like a genuinely good guy," Carl explained his story to Rick.

Rick sighed and nodded, "I know. I trust your instincts. As much as I want to be angry with you right now, I think you did good, son." He smiled down at Carl for the first time in what felt like forever. He placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. With all of the commotion and drama, just life nowadays, he felt like he had been neglecting his son. It was in that moment that he told himself he needed to pull everything together and start raising his family. He needed to be a part in Carl's life and still help raise him, make sure he made the right life choices. And he had to start raising his baby girl.

* * *

Daryl knew he had to get Merle away from everybody. If he didn't, lord only knows what could have happened next. His brother never failed to humiliate him. Merle's so stubborn, he would have just kept going.

"What's the matter, Darlina?" Merle smirked once they were out of hearing range.

"If yer gonna stay here, ya gotta stop..." Daryl paused. He wasn't even exactly sure what he wanted to say to Merle. He was torn. He wanted to have faith in Merle. He wanted him to stay more than anything. He was glad to have his brother back. Yet at the same time, there was a part of him that contradicted all of that. Part of him knew not to get his hopes up, that Merle was and would always still be Merle. He wasn't going to change. The old Merle, the young somewhat caring Merle, was long gone. Hell, that Merle was long gone before Daryl had ever even reached his teen years. He just wanted to believe that Merle still had it in him though, maybe somewhere buried deep. People could change, that was possible, right? It just didn't seem plausible for a Dixon.

"I's jus' havin' some good ol' fun. Lighten up," Merle slapped Daryl's shoulder.

Daryl sighed, "This isn't a joking manner. I—"

"Ya fell for them. All of 'em," Merle cut him off. "Ye took their side. Ever since y'all left me on that rooftop in Atlanta. That's all this has ever been about. Ye didn' care 'bout me. You was happy I was gone. Now they got ya wound 'round their fingers, like you's a puppet. They pull a string an' ye come runnin' to their side like a fuckin' dog."

Daryl didn't say anything. He couldn't muster up any words to even follow up to Merle's tirade. And by the look on Merle's face, he wasn't done.

"They don' care 'bout ya. Not like I do. I'm yer damn _brother_. Your _kin_. I'm all you's have left. Get that through that thick damn skull of yers."

"Rick came back for me," Daryl fidgeted and cursed in his head for doing so. Now that he was having a one on one confrontation with Merle, he had a feeling he was going to call him on it.

"He didn' come back fer ya 'cause he cared. He came back fer ya 'cause he _needs_ ya. They's just usin' you." Merle watched as Daryl shifted his weight back to both of his legs and he grinned.

Daryl could recall bits and pieces of the day he had tried to find Sophia and ended up taking quite a spill down into the ravine. He remembered hallucinating Merle, the conversation that he had with him then. It was much similar to the one that was currently taking place. But Daryl knew better than that. He knew Rick and the others weren't just using him. They couldn't be. They cared, otherwise they wouldn't do what they do for him in return. Carol's smiling face, Carl's young innocence, Hershel's assistance, Rick's prominent head nod and pat on the shoulder. It all meant something. _He_ cared about them; all of them.

"You're wrong," Daryl finally looked up at his brother, looking him in the eyes. "These people are the closest thing I have ta family. We all look out for each other. That's why I want ya to stop. I'm not leaving them. We have to all work together. All of us."

"You takin' their side over mine?" Merle actually looked a little hurt.

"No. You're my brother. I ain't gonna toss ya to the curb," Daryl paused. "I just want everyone ta get along. You think you can handle that?"

Before Merle could answer or even give it that much thought, gunfire and screams filled their ears. Daryl's head whipped back to the others as he saw Rick waving his arm towards the prison. He was instructing everyone to get inside.

Daryl glanced back at Merle as Merle did the same. And without a word, they both took off running after everyone back inside the prison.

* * *

**I just want to say thank you again to all of you who review and follow. You guys are awesome! xoxo **


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of The Walking Dead or its characters. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**NOTES:** Forgive me ahead of time for I do not know the prison that well. Bear with me. This is where things start to get intense. And the next two chapters, you guys might hate me. I think I might hate myself. C'mon, guys. We're getting close to the end! Reviews? Anyone? xoxo

* * *

"What the hell's goin' on?!" Daryl yelled after Rick once they were all back inside the prison.

"It's starting," Rick replied. He opened the door to C Block and led everyone in to grab some weapons.

"What'd ya mean it's starting? I thought they backed down? At least temporarily," Daryl watched as Carol grabbed an assault rifle, as well as Glenn and Beth. Rick grabbed the sniper rifle they had. Maggie and Merle already had submachine guns that they had picked up from the downed men of Woodbury. Carl stuck with his Browning BDA pistol, the gun that was originally Daryl's he had taken from the satchel of the Triumph back on the farm. Tyreese kept his hammer attached to his belt as he grabbed an assault rifle for himself. Sasha, Allen, and Ben joined him in doing so; Sasha and Ben both grabbed a pistol. Axel hesitated, but he knew if he was going to stand any sort of chance and stay with this group, he'd have to fight with them. So, he grabbed a gun for himself as well. Michonne grabbed a pistol and Andrea stuck with her own gun.

"Well, I guess that was their plan all along. To catch us off guard," Rick picked up another assault rifle and handed it to Daryl. His face was stern, "I'm not giving up this prison. We're gonna win."

Daryl nodded as he took the gun from Rick, "Then what're we waitin' for?"

Merle cocked the submachine gun that he had in his hand and grinned, "I'm ready ta take some bitches out."

"Hershel," Rick turned around to face the old man holding his baby daughter. "We're leaving the rest of the equipment with you. I want you to stay here with Judith. I'll make sure to lock everything up so that no one can get in here unless they have a key. If things go south, you may be the only one left standing."

"That's not gonna happen," Maggie spoke up, tucking her pistol into the backside of her jeans once more after looking it over. "We're all coming out of this alive."

"There's no way in hell we're letting Woodbury take us down," Glenn added. "That Governor can rot in hell."

"Amen ta that, brother," Merle waved a finger in Glenn's direction.

"Let's do this," Beth joined Maggie's side. The sisters smiled at one another and Maggie threw her arm around her and pulled her close.

Rick tossed one set of keys to Hershel. He dangled the other set at Daryl and tossed them at him.

Daryl caught the keys and stared down at them for a moment before he shook his head and tossed them back. "Hell no. You tryin'a tell me yer gonna get yourself killed out there? They're your keys. You keep 'em."

There was no way Daryl would ever let something happen to Rick if it were up to him. Rick was the leader; he kept everyone together and kept everything organized. He had something to live for. He had Carl and Judith to look after. Even though Carl seemed to mature rather quickly, the kid still needed his father. Rick was the only parent left for them. Rick was like the brother that Daryl never had, oddly enough. He was like the brother Daryl had _wanted_…

Rick snatched the keys midair with a cling and attached them onto his belt among his machete and Colt Python. He didn't say anything in response though, just prepared the sniper and looked around at everyone.

Everyone seemed so unnervingly calm. Or at least, calm for the most part. Especially for what they were about to face. Nobody knew how bad it was going to get once they stepped foot outside of those walls, how many men there truly were, how heavily loaded they might be. And it never failed that the group looked to Rick for his word of action. Everyone was backing him up, backing the prison up. They weren't going down without a fight. Rick was right: the prison was _theirs_.

"Alright," Rick nodded. "I'm gonna take the nearest watch tower and do my best to take them out one by one. Glenn and Maggie, you're good shots. I would like it if you two took the other closest watch tower. As for everyone else… Stay covered and watch each other's backs."

"Got it," Glenn nodded. Maggie stepped up next to him, causing him to look over at her. He grabbed her hand down at her side and gave it a tight squeeze before bringing it to his lips and kissing her hand. She smiled at him in return.

* * *

The group emerged through the doors leading outside, the humid Georgia air accompanying them. Rick didn't waste any time running to one of the watch towers as he noticed Glenn and Maggie did the same. Once Rick had reached the top, he looked over at the gates to take it all in, to see what they were up against. There were a few vehicles littered throughout, lined up at the first gated fence. He could see some of the men exit from the vehicles, heavily loaded as they took out the few walkers nearby. Maybe they hadn't seen them come out of the prison yet. But why were they keeping their distance?...

Rick didn't complain. The further they were, the better. It would make it more difficult to get proper aim but it worked both ways. Besides, Rick had Dale's old Remington 700 VLS. He couldn't help but grin in remembrance of the old man. As he steadied the gun and took aim he wondered what things would have been like if Dale was still around. He did always have the best advice, even if it was unwanted and unnecessary from time to time. He had a good heart.

Rick lined up with his initial target and pulled the trigger, the gunshot echoing off the walls and filling the air as he watched the man fall to the ground from behind the fence. Rick mentally thanked Dale for the rifle as he took a steady breath and prepared to take aim once more. The shot took Woodbury's men by surprise as they all began to crouch and pull their guns out. Rick had taken the first shot and it was the official start to the war.

After that, it was nothing but dust and gunfire. Rick shot a couple more men before he walked back around the watch tower and looked down at everyone. They all seemed to be fairly spaced out, broken up into smaller groups. Axel and Carol were a little ways out, side by side and not too far from where Daryl and Merle stood. Carl and Beth stuck together somewhere between those four and Andrea and Michonne. Tyreese and Sasha were side by side with Allen and Ben nearby. It was nice to see everyone working together but it was kind of necessary for survival at this point.

Rick moved back towards the front of the watch tower and raised the rifle. He looked down the sight and decided to scan the area, surveying each man the best he could to see what exactly they had. He landed on the back of one of the trucks though and froze. He was staring down at a machine gun propped up on a tripod, and they were preparing to use it as he could see a man begin to feed the ammunition into it.

Rick ran back to the edge closest to everyone and yelled as loud as he could, flailing his arms in the air. "GET DOWN!"

* * *

Daryl propped his back up against the wall as he heard Rick yell from on top of the watch tower. He glanced up to see him waving his arms in the air. It looked like he was trying to signal everyone to get down.

Daryl smacked Merle on the back to get his attention and nodded his head back to his side. Merle understood the motion and got back behind the wall next to him.

"Ya know, words work too," Merle remarked.

Daryl ignored him as he looked around for the others. He wanted to make sure everyone caught Rick's warning. Andrea and Michonne were ducked down behind the watch tower that Rick occupied and Tyreese and Sasha weren't far from them; clearly they had heard. He then noticed Carl and Beth… But Carl was running out into the open and Beth was chasing him. He watched as he realized Carl was running for Allen and Ben, who were almost completely out in the open. _Damn it, kid._

The sound of a machine gun roared to life and Daryl sucked in closer to the wall as he could actually hear the bullets still whirling by from where he stood all the way across the prison yard. He could just barely see Beth get to Carl on time and knock him flat to the ground, safely out of harm's way.

But there was a slight scream that caught Daryl's attention and made him snap his head in the opposite direction.

_Carol_.

His eyes scanned the area briefly before seeing Axel's body on the ground. It took him a moment to realize that she was hiding behind his body, her small hands grasped onto the back of his shirt, her body pulled in close for protection against the flying bullets. Daryl didn't even give himself any time to think—he just acted on impulse. He shot around the corner and took aim the best he could, firing off quite a few rounds until he could visibly see a couple bodies hit the ground among Woodbury's men. He couldn't quite get the man who operated the machine gun targeted but he wasn't going to let that stop him.

"Hold this," Daryl pushed his gun into Merle's chest without looking as Merle fumbled to keep a hold of it.

"What're ya-?" Merle started to ask but didn't get to finish.

Daryl bolted for Carol who was still curled up behind Axel's body. She saw him coming and let go of Axel, getting ready to jump back to her feet. Daryl stayed low and grabbed her free hand as she held her assault rifle in the other and quickly pulled her up. They managed to avoid any serious damage as Daryl practically dragged her back to where he was standing with Merle, taking much larger steps than what Carol's legs were used to.

"Are ye fuckin' nuts?" Merle stared at him.

"Stop being such a pussy." Daryl grabbed his gun back from Merle as Merle raised an eyebrow.

"Well, now. Ain't that somethin'..." Merle grinned. He seemed amused that Daryl called _him_ a pussy.

Daryl glanced back at Carol and looked her over, his eyes scanning her entire body. His eyes met hers and he realized that she was staring back at him, slightly shaking. He quickly realized that for whatever reason, him looking her up and down could be taken in a different manner had the time and place been different and he felt his face grow a little warm. He wasn't like that and he didn't want anyone to take it the wrong way.

He then noticed her arm must have gotten grazed by a bullet as there was a cut in her flesh with blood trailing down her elbow. He quickly removed the red cloth that he always carried in his back pocket, thankful that it was fairly clean for once, and closed the gap between them. He took her arm in his hands and looked at the wound a little closer. It wasn't bad and he sighed in relief as he wrapped the cloth around her arm and tied it there.

"Thank you," Carol spoke softly.

Daryl nodded and shot a glare at Merle before he could open his mouth to say something sarcastic. "Stay close… Them bastards brought a damn machine gun."

"I coulda told ya they had that. They's got all the good stuff." Merle shook his head.

* * *

"It's too late!" Beth cried out as she struggled to hold a resistant Carl to the ground.

"I could have saved them! I could have made it on time!" Carl shouted at her. He had just enough time to look up and see Allen's and Ben's bodies on the ground, face down. He felt Beth tugging on his arm as he forced himself back to his feet and ran for cover with her.

"You were going to get yourself killed! There was nothing that you could have done to prevent that." Beth still kept a firm grip on his arm as they stayed hidden behind a wall from the Woodbury men.

Carl shook his head. If he was just a little bit older, a little bit taller, he could have made it. He could have taken bigger steps, he could have run faster. He could have saved two innocent lives. Two people that he had just met and now would never get the chance to know. That bothered him. They didn't deserve that, they didn't deserve to die. Nobody deserved to die. Not by the hands of another human, or walkers. It just wasn't right.

"Come on, we need to head back and join the others." Carl snapped out of it and now took a hold of Beth's arm and pulled her along beside him. He stayed close to as many objects that they could take cover behind as possible, ducking and staying low. They managed to swing around the opposite side of the watch tower that his dad was in, coming up by Andrea and Michonne.

"Are you two alright?" Andrea quickly asked, looking them up and down.

"We're fine," Beth replied. Her voice was so small and fragile. Carl wished this war was over before it started, especially seeing Beth shaken up. He wanted to comfort her. He didn't want to see anyone else get killed.

"Allen and Ben are dead. We couldn't reach them on time." Carl notified them, lowering his head. A part of him didn't understand why it made him feel so bad. He had become so numb to all of this, death and the dying process. He didn't even know Ben and Allen. Sure, they might have been good people. And yeah, Ben was probably close to Beth's age. But that didn't mean anything. Not in today's world. He had to just shut it out and push it down. He _didn't_ know them, it shouldn't affect him. They weren't his _family_.

"Better them than us," Michonne shrugged.

Andrea bit her lip and sighed, "We need to keep covered. They'll have to ditch the machine gun eventually. There are only so many rounds."

The sniper rifle cracked above their heads, signaling that Rick had shot off another round. Carl immediately looked out at the men and watched another body hit the ground. He couldn't help but grin. This prison was theirs, and they weren't about to give it up.

* * *

**This one is kind of short. But I thought this would be a good place to stop. The next two or three chapters might be pretty long though. Not sure yet. It's kind of a hit and miss process. Woodbury has taken Axel, Allen, and Ben. May they rest in peace, the poor souls… Oh, and I do already have chapter 8 complete. I just need to reread over it and check for errors and what have you. The more feedback I receive, the sooner I might post it. Thanks ahead of time! I love each and every one of you! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of The Walking Dead or its characters. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**NOTES: **Please don't hate me. That is all.

* * *

The firefight continued on for a little while, but it didn't take long to realize that there was no use. It was getting harder to actually hit their targets since they had started being more tactical and hiding behind their own resources. They had used some of the vehicles to drive forward and take down the fence, as it hung precariously, teetering back and forth in the air. Some of the men crossed over completely with a vehicle, coming in that much closer. They had heavier guns. And since the deaths of Axel, Ben, and Allen… people were a little frightened. It made the entire situation seem real. They were fighting for their lives. There was no second chance.

The only conclusion that Rick could draw from them keeping their distance in the first place was to try and keep the fence intact. Maybe they were hoping to take the prison over for themselves. But it didn't matter anymore. All they had to do was make it through the last fence that keep them separated from the group and they would be killed in an instant. And that was something that Rick couldn't let happen. He'd have to swallow his pride and ensure the safety of the group before anything else at the moment.

Rick took one last glance out at the field and sighed. It was a lost cause. There were now a few walkers that were making their way slowly up the slight grassy incline, dragging their feet and becoming that much closer. With all of the gunfire, it was sure to attract every walker for miles.

He gripped the rifle in his hands and took one last shot with a deafening _crack_ before he carried his feet down the stairs one at a time.

* * *

"Shit's not looking too good. You need to head back inside, make it back to our cell block. Hershel will let you in." Daryl kept his back pressed up against the wall as he spoke to Carol, removing the clip from his assault rifle and cursing under his breath. He was hoping it was just jammed but it turned out to be empty.

When he noticed that Carol still stood there in the same spot staring back at him, he raised his voice. "I mean it. That's not a suggestion. Just do it, okay?" They stared at each other for a moment. Carol's eyes were fierce, matching Daryl's in that moment. He could tell that she didn't want to give up and that she was still ready and willing to fight, whatever it took. But Daryl didn't like that. He wanted her to be safe and the only way that was going to happen was if she was inside the walls of C Block with Hershel and Judith, and the rest of the weapons they had left.

"Okay," Carol finally agreed, nodding in defeat. She hesitantly turned her back to the Dixons and headed for the doors into the prison.

Daryl watched her for a moment before Carl caught his eye. The boy stopped by his side, his face much similar to his father's with that stern look.

"I told Beth to head back in too. Her and Carol will be safe in there." Carl spoke.

"Better than out here in this chaos," Daryl replied.

Glenn and Maggie were the next to join them as they made their exit from the watch tower and wrapped around to them, just a few steps from the door to the tower. They didn't say a word though as they stayed close to the Dixon brothers and Carl. Gunfire still sounded off and filled the air, though not as bad as it once had previously. When Daryl poked his head around the corner, he could see that they were all still moving in. And the walkers were following.

"We need to back down! We're going to get everyone killed if we stay like this!"

Daryl jumped at Rick's voice as he yelled over all of the commotion. He had the sniper propped up against his shoulder in a casual manner, his brows creased.

"Yeah, but how are we going to get out of this situation?" Glenn spoke just barely loud enough to be heard.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, we need to head back into the prison. Everyone." Rick glanced over towards Michonne and Andrea.

Daryl immediately noticed that it had gotten much quieter compared to what it had been. There weren't as many guns being fired at once and it didn't seem like it was just because they were starting to retreat. No, it almost sounded like Woodbury was retreating as well. But that didn't seem right.

"Andrea!—We're moving back into the prison!" Rick yelled over to her. She glanced over at his voice and nodded, grabbing Michonne's attention and spreading the word to Tyreese shortly after.

Just as they were all getting ready to make a run for the prison door they had all emerged from together, the machine gun seemed to fire up once more, stopping Andrea, Michonne, Tyreese, and Sasha in their tracks. They weren't able to close the gap with the machine gun firing without the risk of being shot.

"It's okay! We'll find another way in!" Andrea shouted back.

Rick nodded. It was obvious he wasn't too pleased, but there wasn't much else they could do. They were all running low on ammo at this point and they had to conserve what they had left. They couldn't worry about being split up at the moment. Besides, the inside of the prison should be safe.

But of course, that was where they were wrong.

The moment they ran inside, they were split up even further. A small herd of walkers had entered into the prison from somewhere as they roamed the halls and split Daryl, Merle, and Maggie from Rick, Carl, and Glenn. They didn't have time to try and take them all out, nor did they have the space. They managed to quickly sprint in the opposite direction of the walkers and each other, barely avoiding their dead reaching hands.

Daryl felt a tug on the back of his shirt, looking back to see that it was Maggie. He stopped short enough to slightly push her ahead of him and make sure she was out of harm from the straggling walkers that followed. He ran by her side with Merle leading them just ahead. He was thrown for another loop when he felt Maggie's hand grab his. A part of him wanted to immediately push her away and ask what the hell was wrong with her. But he let it go. It felt kind of nice and it let him know that she was there beside him. She was safe.

* * *

"What the hell was that?!—How are there walkers in here?" Glenn raised his voice at no one in particular.

"I don't know. All the gunfire must have attracted them. They could be coming in from anywhere." Rick gave him the best answer he could as they ran down what they hoped to be a vacant hall, free of walkers and anything else that could somehow be lurking around the corners.

"When Tyreese and his group came in here, they said the whole backside of the prison is down. There might be even more ways into the prison than we know." Carl informed them. He kept his pistol handy, waiting for a threat to emerge. You could never be too sure.

"This is just fucking great," Rick fumed. "Stay close together and make sure we don't get separated even further."

Glenn couldn't help but think once again that Maggie was with Daryl. And Merle, unfortunately. But Merle seemed to be doing alright thus far. He was actually helping out. Maggie would be safe with those two. She would have been fine on her own if that's what it would have come down to, but it would have only made Glenn worry that much more if that had been the case.

"It's not that much further till we reach our cell block. Maggie, Daryl, and Merle ended up having to take the long way around." Rick spoke, his breath coming out in huffs from running. If the walkers hadn't been there, they'd all still be together in a good sized group.

"They'll be fine. We'll all be—"

Glenn was cut short when the three of them stopped abruptly, coming face to face with two of Woodbury's men. They froze, staring in horror before they could operate their limbs. _How did THEY get in here?!_

Carl quickly fired a round into one of the men's heads while Rick shot the other one. How they managed to kill them before they fired on them was beyond Glenn.

"This is not good… This is NOT good!" Rick ran his dirty hands through his hair, looking about ready to explode. "How many of them are in here? I told everyone to go back inside because I figured it would be _safe_."

"I—I don't know. But maybe it's not that bad." Glenn tried to console Rick, "There's no way you could have known. I would have done the same thing."

"They must have snuck in through the back as well…" Carl folded his arms across his chest.

Rick shook his head, "…We have to keep moving. Keep an eye out for anything. And I mean _anything_."

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Andrea stopped for a moment, Michonne, Tyreese, and Sasha slowing down once they realized.

"Yeah, it sounded like a gun. Kind of like it's been sounding like for the past hour or so," Sasha snapped.

"No, no… I heard it too. It was coming from inside here." Tyreese scratched his chin.

"So let's keep moving. There's no point in stopping to play 21 questions." Michonne gripped the katana tighter in her hands. They had already encountered a few walkers and easily dispatched them. Michonne used her katana and Tyreese managed to use his hammer. Silence was key.

"But we're all smart enough to know _not_ to use a gun. Not in here. It's suicide. There's no telling how many walkers got in here and one gunshot is enough to bring on a whole herd. If they were taking out walkers, they wouldn't have used guns." Andrea voiced her opinion. The more she thought about it, the more it actually frightened her. She knew Rick and Daryl were the most conscious of the group; they always had been. So there was no way that they would have ever resorted to using guns on slow, hobbling walkers.

"Well, let's just hope we have nothing to worry about and keep moving. We'll keep an eye out for anything in the shadows. It won't be much farther until we're back with the others." Tyreese shrugged it off and led the way.

As they approached the corner, they all slowed down. Tyreese managed to poke his head around the corner with Andrea and Michonne right by his side.

But a scream erupted from out of Sasha that snapped their attention back to her at the same time gunfire echoed off the walls in the confined halls.

"Sasha!—NO!" Tyreese reached an arm out but it was useless as he watched his sister hit the ground, lifeless.

Andrea and Michonne quickly ducked down as Andrea pulled her pistol and shot the two men with just two bullets; one to each of their heads.

Apparently, they spoke too soon.

Tyreese ran to Sasha's side and cradled her head in his hands gently. Andrea frowned knowing just how hard it was to lose a sibling. This big tall man had crashed to his knees in an instant at the sight of his sister and it broke her heart. She hated this world. She hated Woodbury. Furthermore, she hated Philip for bringing this upon them.

"That might have explained the gunshots we heard," Michonne muttered.

"Tyreese—I'm so sorry," Andrea carefully took a few steps towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Tyreese nodded, "It's… It's okay. I appreciate the thought..." He paused, staring down at Sasha's body. He slowly lowered her head back down. "Maybe it's better this way. She doesn't have to suffer in this world anymore…"

Andrea bit her lip. Tyreese had a point. She just wished she could have been as strong as he was when Amy died. Tyreese just seemed to embrace the fact and accept it immediately. Maybe he had already been through enough deaths to just instantaneously succumb to it.

"I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but—" Michonne stopped when Tyreese rose back to his feet.

"I know. We need to keep moving," Tyreese sighed. He looked at Andrea, then down at her gun. A pistol seemed more humane than an assault rifle or hammer and Andrea understood. She handed Tyreese her pistol and walked over to Michonne to give him some space. She didn't watch. She wasn't sure if her stomach could deal with it right now, the thought of yet another death among the group. Something that could have been avoided.

The single shot rang out and made Andrea jump as she looked over at Michonne, who was facing towards Tyreese. She only shook her head and turned her back to him.

"Thank you," Tyreese was at Andrea's side in no time, his hand outstretched and offering the pistol back to her. She took it as he continued, "Let's just keep moving."

* * *

"The waiting is making me insanely nervous," Beth paced back and forth within C Block, an assault rifle rested in her hands. She had caught up with Carol the moment the men told them to head back and luckily, they had no trouble returning to their cell block.

"I'm sure the others are fine. They're smart and quick on their feet. They've definitely improved since we've met them," Hershel spoke from one of the cells. He let out a small chuckle after realizing that Carol was still there with them, "No offense." He cradled Judith in his arms and gently swayed her back and forth to keep her settled. So far she had proved to be a well-behaved little baby. She didn't fuss too much.

"None taken," Carol forced a smile. "I agree with your statement. We've all grown and learned a lot since then."

Carol wasn't really sure what else to say. There was not a single thing that crossed her mind that was comforting. Her mind raced. She could hear the gunshots, some louder than others. But they seemed to be a lot closer. Like they were coming from inside the prison, and that worried her. She thought back to the moment when that machine gun had first come to life. Axel had seemed to instantly crash to the ground and she went down with him. He had been shot numerous times and she had used his body as a shield. She felt horrible for doing so, but he technically saved her life. He was already dead and there wasn't much else that she could do in the moment having been targeted.

But Daryl had been her savior in that moment too. If it weren't for Daryl, she may have still been laying there on the ground dead for all she knew. She was surprised they were able to get out of that with barely a scratch.

Carol glanced down at her arm and took in the sight of the red cloth Daryl had tied around her arm and smiled. He had always carried that rag with him, hanging from his back pocket as if it was his lucky charm. Her arm hurt but it wasn't something so excruciating that she couldn't handle it herself. She just figured she would let it slide for now and wait to see how everything would end before asking Hershel to take a look at it.

"Beth, why don't you take a seat? All that pacing is making _me_ nervous." Hershel requested.

Beth sighed, "Sorry. It's just..." She shook her head and walked over to the stairs the led up to the balcony and plopped down. "I'm worried."

Judith began to fuss a little as a small cry reverberated from out of the cell Hershel sat in. Carol watched as the older man continued to sway her back and forth, quietly shushing her.

* * *

They could all hear the gunshots that echoed from different parts of the prison. It was hard to pinpoint exactly where they were all coming from but it was obvious it wasn't just centrally located.

Nobody said a word as they kept running, taking out a couple walkers when they had to. Daryl stayed close to Merle, mostly leading the way and directing him on where to turn and which way to go. He could feel Maggie squeeze his hand, making him fully aware that she was still right there beside them. She looked terrified and Daryl tried to ignore it. There wasn't much else he could really do for her and quite frankly, he was terrified too.

Daryl already knew that not all of the gunshots belonged to the group. Some of Woodbury's men must have found a way in and tried to infiltrate them from all sides. They were smart; smarter than they looked. He couldn't help but wonder where _Philip_ was among all of the chaos. Was he even still alive? Of course he probably was. He was probably cowering somewhere in a corner and demanding his henchmen to do all the dirty work. He would just be standing by and waiting for someone to hand him a trophy on a silver platter.

But what if Woodbury _did_ win?...

Daryl must have been too distracted by his thoughts as the next thing he knew, he was thrown back on his ass and he felt Maggie's hand slip from his. He heard the gunfire and he heard Maggie scream as his heart pounded in his chest, trying to get his mind to catch up with what was going on. Everything felt as if it had been slowed down and he felt like a dead weight. He couldn't get his arms to cooperate as he was on the cold hard floor, frozen and staring…

The thoughts rushed through his mind while everything seemed to pass by in slow motion. He was going to die. He had been shot. That was the only explanation as to why he was now on the ground. He wasn't going to ever see the others again. He wouldn't ever see Carl's smiling face, hear Carol's laughter, and hold Judith in his arms again. He wasn't going to be able to protect them anymore.

It took him a moment to register what actually happened. Merle had shoved him, he wasn't shot. Merle had thrown him back so hard that he hit the ground and he must have shoved Maggie back all in the same force. The gunfire belonged to that of the men who stood in front of them, two of them to be exact. They had just whipped around the corner and opened fire. Woodbury. Woodbury's men.

And Merle.

Merle had been shot. More than once. How many times, Daryl wasn't sure. Merle had pushed Daryl out of the way and taken the hit for him and Maggie. He saved their lives.

Daryl could only stare in horror as his brother fell to the cold hard floor next to him. He felt paralyzed. He felt like he couldn't breathe. Why?—Why wasn't he paying attention? Why wasn't he prepared? Why didn't he see these men? Why did Merle have to be the one to…

_No. No, no, no… _

He felt numb yet at the same time he felt as if someone had ran a spike through his heart. His own brother. His brother was _gone_, just like that. No words, nothing. It was like he had just vanished before his eyes just like their ma had; she had gone up in flames with that house, never to be seen or heard from again.

_Gone_.

Daryl felt a wave of nausea hit him as memories seemed to flood back to him. Everything about their ma that he remembered from his very early childhood, to their old man, to the day that man finally croaked. He suddenly recalled the good things that Merle had ever done for him in his life. They seemed to wash away the bad.

Daryl didn't really hear the gunshots that rang out after that. He barely even realized that Maggie was crouched down beside him, yelling. She was yelling at him but all he could hear was a deafening ringing in his ears…

"Daryl!—C'mon, we have to go! I'm sorry!" Maggie grabbed his arm.

The sudden harsh grip snapped him out of it as he noticed she killed the two men. They had to go? She was sorry? What did any of that even mean anymore?

Somehow, Maggie managed to pull Daryl back to his feet, his body still not wanting to fully cooperate. He finally broke his fixed gaze and looked at Maggie. He noticed she had tears in her eyes as she stared back at him, her arms wrapped around his one. She slowly released his arm and reached her hand out, touching his face. He flinched at her touch. It was then that he realized _he_ was crying. She had reached up to wipe a tear off of his face.

Daryl took a step back and shook his head. He wiped his arm across his face, hoping to wipe away any evidence.

"I'm so sorry…" Maggie whispered, her voice shaking.


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of The Walking Dead or its characters. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**NOTES:** Welp… I was going to make this into two chapters, but decided to keep it one long chapter. My apologies. Thanks for reading! Reviews are lovely.

* * *

Maggie didn't know what to do. She felt absolutely heartbroken seeing Daryl like this. She had never witnessed him so vulnerable, like every wall he had ever built up around him to keep everyone out had just crumbled, shattered into tiny pieces at the sight of his brother. She felt pain and empathy for him. She knew they had a rough relationship but she could also tell that they still loved each other. It was an unspoken sibling bond. As much as she tried to think of something to say, all she could come up with was "sorry". It didn't even begin to touch the surface of what happened. _Sorry_ wasn't going to change anything; it wasn't going to bring Merle back from the dead. She wanted to comfort Daryl but she didn't know how to even attempt to.

Maggie was about to speak up, to tell him they should move on and find the others. But she didn't want to rush him and she didn't want to come off as harsh. If he needed some time, now was as good as any. Maybe even the best. She could at least stand there and watch his back if anyone popped up from around another corner or if a few walkers blew through.

But that wasn't the case. Daryl just took off, walking around the corner that the Woodbury men had come from, and disappeared out of sight in an instant. Maggie took off after him and tried to match his brisk walking pace, having to take two steps to his one. She tried to look him in the face, tried to read what was going through his mind. She knew he had to be a mess. But he was damn good at hiding it because the same scowl he constantly wore back on the farm had returned. If anything, he looked absolutely pissed. Maggie could sense that there was still a little bit of pain behind that look though, and it gave it a whole new meaning to her: He was constantly lashing out in anger because he didn't want anyone to see through him.

The silence was beginning to kill her as they treaded along through the halls towards C Block. She didn't know her way around like Daryl did, since he had scouted a good portion of the prison in search for Carol a few days ago. She could only assume they were getting close. None of this seemed real.

Maggie tried to reach her hand out again, brushing against Daryl's for a moment before he wrenched his hand back. She frowned at the failed attempt. He had already built those walls back up even stronger and higher than they were before, anger taking the place of fear and anguish.

As much as she was hurting on the inside to see this side of Daryl, she couldn't bite her tongue fast enough; "Damn it, Daryl Dixon! Say something!"

It was in that moment that she noticed they both stopped walking at the same time, Daryl slowly turning to face her. His eyes pierced hers, the icy blue hues threatening. He closed the gap between them and kept walking until her back was up against the wall. She didn't flinch when Daryl slammed the palms of his hands on either side of her, his face inches from hers. Her immediately gut reaction to this side of Daryl was fear. It came and went in a flash though, knowing well that he would never hurt her.

"What the hell do you want me to say? I ain't gonna lay down an' die, if that's what's got ya so worked up. Jesus Christ..." Daryl's voice was a lot softer than she had prepared for it to be as he backed off. He looked at her once more before shaking his head and continuing to walk down the hall.

* * *

The door that led into C Block was in view as Rick slowed down to a walking pace, Glenn and Carl at his side. They didn't have to run anymore. They had made it back.

Rick had become so focused on detaching the keys from his belt that he hadn't realized they had company.

"Maggie! Daryl!" Glenn cried out, his voice filled with pure relief at the sight of them.

Rick clenched the keys in his hand as he glanced up at the two on the other side of the hall and smiled. Maggie ran for them as Daryl stayed put, staring back at Rick. He wasn't sure how to interpret this look, what it meant. Why wasn't he coming?

Maggie collided with Glenn, their arms wrapped tightly around each other as tears streamed down the girl's face. She had practically knocked Glenn down as he now ran a hand through her hair and quietly shushed her, resting his other hand just along her jaw with his thumb tracing over her cheek to wipe away a tear. He kissed her forehead and pulled her into his chest, resting his head against hers.

When Rick looked back down towards Daryl, he realized the man was walking away now, just barely catching a glimpse of him as he disappeared around the wall.

"Daryl!—" Rick called out, taking a few steps forward, ready to go after him until he felt a hand on his arm. He looked over to see Maggie's tear-stained face staring at him, shaking her head.

That's when it hit him. Maggie and Daryl had returned. Merle was missing.

"We ran into a couple men from Woodbury. We were completely thrown off guard, not expecting it. Merle pushed us out of the way. He..." Maggie bit her trembling lip and shut her eyes, a pained expression on her face.

Glenn and Carl remained silent, lowering their heads. No one was a huge fan of Merle, but that didn't mean they wanted him _dead_. And by the sounds of it, that was just it: Merle was indeed… dead.

That explained why Daryl hadn't joined them, why he took off. Maybe that was his way of grieving. Maybe he just didn't want to be around anyone right now. Hell, when Rick found out that he had lost Lori… That was the worst pain he had ever felt in his entire life. His form of grieving resulted in him clearing out a good portion of the prison, killing walkers, going to the room in which she died, stabbing that walker that had eaten her body so many times he felt disgusted. And here he thought that damn phone was ringing, that he was talking to the others that they had lost, to Lori. He would never get over the loss of her. He never made things right. He pushed her away during the time she needed him the most. He thought that there would be more time. And it'd be a cold day in hell before he'd let that happen again with somebody else.

"I have to go after him. I feel like this is my responsibility and I can't just let him go out there when Woodbury and the walkers—"

"Rick, please," Maggie cut him off. "I don't think… I don't think Daryl wants to be bothered. As much as I want him to be back here with us… I don't think he's ready."

"Maggie's right..." Glenn shrugged. "It's Daryl. He'll be okay…"

Rick shook his head. It didn't feel right, but he didn't say anymore. He unlocked the doors that led into C Block, relieved to see Carol and Beth smiling back at them. While they had a small reunion, plenty occupied with each other's appearances, Rick slipped back out into the hall. He made sure to lock the door behind him as he walked down the hall and turned the corner to where he had seen Daryl take off.

As he stared down the dark hall, he sighed. Daryl was long gone by now, no telling where he would be within the prison. Rick knew he couldn't risk going out after him now. He had to stay with the group. They needed him. Rick had to just bite his tongue and hope for the best. He had to convince himself that it would be okay. Daryl was intelligent, quick on his feet—he would be _fine_.

* * *

Daryl retraced his steps that he had taken with Maggie just minutes ago. He had ditched the assault rifle since he ran out of ammo, leaving him with just his hunting knife and the Colt Official Police revolver he managed to swipe, tucked into the back of his pants with his shirt covering it. Of course, those were the only two things he needed for where he was going.

He tried not to think about it—any of it. He wanted to try and keep his mind clear, knowing that anything could happen now. It was still very possible that Woodbury's men were stalking the halls of the prison. And walkers were definitely still around, having no brain or intelligence to get out while they still could. There was a slight chance that maybe whatever was left of Woodbury retreated, but there was no way to know for sure.

Daryl came across a small group of walkers, three of them huddled together and practically tripping over each other. When he was in their sight, they immediately began to lurch towards him with their arms outstretched. He didn't even bother to hesitate; he just went straight for them. He unsheathed his hunting knife, his hand tightening around the grip as he drove the blade straight into the first one's head. The other two just stood there, their hands still reaching out as Daryl pulled the knife from its head. He felt a hand brush his shoulder as he crushed his foot against its chest, knocking the one back and giving him plenty of time to sink the knife into the second one's head—a sickening crunch and squelch resulting from the skull collapsing at the impact of the sharp blade. It was a "rinse and repeat" cycle as he tore through the head of the last one standing before he continued on his path.

He gripped the knife tighter in his hands, subconscious thoughts tearing at him. He had to make it back to Merle. He had to finish the job. He had to keep himself together. It needed to be done before he turned—or worse.

All he had to do was make it around the next corner. Just a few more steps and he could properly put his brother to rest.

As soon as he turned the corner, he froze. There were three _more_ walkers in sight, and they were all making a move towards Merle.

"NO!—" Daryl took off, sprinting towards the drooling geeks. "C'mon, ya dumb bastards!—Come get me!" He tried to draw their attention away but it was no use. He slid the knife back into its sheath. He could tell he wasn't going to make it on time, and without hesitation, he pulled the revolver from his backside and shot each of them in the head with careful precision.

Daryl stopped once he was beside Merle's body. He grimaced at the sight, forcing himself to slightly look away. He tucked the revolver back away as he bent down and managed to toss the mangled bodies of the walkers off to the side so that they weren't all sprawled out or lying across Merle. Once he was able to accomplish his task, he sighed. All least he stopped them on time.

He knew what he had to do, and he had three bullets left. That was the whole reason of why he came back. He couldn't do it when Maggie was there with him—he just couldn't bring himself to do it right on the spot. But it still didn't make a difference now that he was alone. It was still Merle. No matter how much of an ass he could prove to be, _it was still Merle_.

He deserved to be buried, too. Everyone that they lost that day deserved to be buried. They had all died a hero in some sick twisted way, _especially_ Merle. Daryl still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that his own brother had saved him and Maggie.

Then he thought about Axel, Ben, and Allen. Their bodies were still laying outside, exposed to the weather and the herds of oncoming walkers. Daryl cringed at the thought of those walkers ripping their bodies to shreds and making a meal out of them. Those disgusting, repulsive, rotten bastards…

Daryl took a deep breath and exhaled, staring down at the ground next to Merle. He couldn't even bring himself to look at him anymore. He still couldn't bring himself to pull the revolver and ultimately put him to rest. He wondered if it would be any easier to try and wait it out, wait for him to turn. But he recalled Jenner saying it could take days for it to actually happen and Daryl didn't have that kind of time. Besides, the more he thought about it, the more he decided he couldn't do that either. It didn't seem right and seeing his brother spring back to his feet after death would be far from natural, and even harder to take care of. He now understood what Andrea had gone through with Amy, why she couldn't pull the trigger. It fucking hurt.

"That truly is a shame. He was a good man. Though, hell of a liar too."

Daryl froze as a familiar voice sounded out a few feet from behind him. A voice he wouldn't have expected, a voice he wouldn't soon forget.

* * *

"Oh, thank God!" Andrea sighed in relief as she read C BLOCK painted on the wall. She glanced over at Tyreese and Michonne before wrapping her fingers around the cold metal bars of the door.

"Hershel?—Somebody? Open the doors!" Andrea called out. She watched as she could see Rick emerge from the second door on the inside of the cell block and make his way over to her, a smile on his face.

"Andrea, thank God. Glad to see you're alright." Rick unlocked the door and made room for them to enter.

Andrea followed Rick in with Tyreese by her side, but she noticed that Michonne didn't follow. She stopped and walked back to poke her head out of the door, glancing down the hall where she last saw her.

"Michonne?... _Michonne_! Seriously?" Andrea sighed. It was just like her to take off without saying anything. She had a mind of her own and she wasn't one for sharing her thoughts. Andrea had no clue what she could possibly want to do on her own out there but she just assumed that she'd be back shortly. Nothing seemed to scare that woman and if Andrea didn't know her, she'd be afraid of losing her head to the katana.

"Michonne leave?" Tyreese asked her once she walked back into the cell block with the others.

"Yeah, I guess so. I don't know why but she'll be back," Andrea shrugged.

"I'll only lock this door then, just in case. When she comes back, we'll see her." Rick locked the door that led directly into the cell block. There was a small room-like area that separated this door and another, in which Rick had them both secured.

Andrea glanced around the space to take it all in once again. They were safe locked in there. And it seemed like everyone had made it back okay. Except…

"Where are the Dixon brothers?" Andrea raised an eyebrow. She should have known Merle was at least missing because his mouth could be heard from across the prison. She could vaguely recall the first time she laid eyes on those two back at the quarry, how they seemed so similar yet different. It was odd.

Rick hung his head and placed his hands on his hips. That wasn't a good sign.

"What happened?—Are they… Are they dead?" Andrea forced the words from her mouth, shocked.

"Merle is," Glenn spoke just above a whisper.

"Daryl took off once he and Maggie made it back here. We got split up," Rick explained.

Andrea's eyes shifted back and forth between the two before she decided to look over at Maggie. Maggie kept a hand over her mouth and shook her head. It was obvious she must have been there when it happened, still shaken up.

"Oh, God..." Andrea gasped. She quickly looked to Tyreese, realizing that he had lost Sasha too. He only lowered his head to break away from her stare.

It didn't feel like things could get any worse.

* * *

Daryl clenched his fists at his sides as he turned to face the man. He now wore a black eye patch over his right eye, that same stupid grin on his face from the arena.

"Get what you want?" Daryl snarled. "You fucking happy now?"

Philip shook his head, "You misunderstand me. I didn't want any of this. I just wanted to keep my people safe and I only did what I thought was best. Your people attacked mine. You see, an eye for an eye."

He took a few steps forward, inching closer and closer to Daryl. Daryl watched his every move as he gripped his hunting knife in his hand, pulling it from the sheath on his belt. Philip looked to be unarmed but he had no way of knowing, so he planned on keeping his distance if need be.

Philip raised his arms in the air, facing his empty palms towards Daryl with a smirk. "I mean no harm."

"Yeah, an' you take one more step an' I'll kill ya myself," Daryl gritted his teeth. "If you hadn't taken Maggie and Glenn, we wouldn't have come after _yer people_."

"That was all Merle," Philip slowly put his arms back down at his sides. "He wanted to know where you were, that's all. We would have released them."

"Bullshit," Daryl snapped. He felt as if he were shaking with anger. It was this man's fault for everything that had happened, for Woodbury attacking. He killed Oscar, and Axel, and Allen, and Ben. He killed Merle. And for all Daryl knew, he killed others in his group.

"No need to be hasty. Thought I'd take a stroll through the prison, just so happened to come across you and your brother..." Philip paused. "As I was saying, it's a shame. You can join him if you'd like. I'd even volunteer for you. For both of you, really, seeing as you still haven't shot him in the head."

Daryl had never been one to just stand by and let someone talk to him like that, not in a long time. And he could already feel the anger building up inside of him, enough to push him over the edge as he charged at the man, grabbing him by his shirt and throwing him up against the wall in one swift motion. He kept one hand gripped onto his shoulder and the other gripped around the knife, pressing it to his throat. His face hovered just inches in front of his, yet Philip seemed to keep a smug grin.

"I ain't dyin'. Not by yer hands and not anytime soon," Daryl lowered his voice as he spoke. Before he knew it, he had taken the knife and driven it into Philip's chest, proving to be harder than he thought it would be. _Because he was alive—not a walker._ And he managed to pull the knife from his chest and stab him again.

He left his knife buried into Philip's chest as he stumbled back. Philip's lifeless body slid down the wall until he hit the floor. Daryl noticed he was breathing heavy as he looked down at his hands in front of him. His hands were shaking, and his right hand was covered in Philip's blood.

And it wasn't until then that he felt an agonizing sharp pain radiating from his stomach. Without thinking, he touched his left hand to where he felt the pain and he froze. He felt as if his breath had caught in his throat as he managed to glance down and confirm what his left hand had found.

Philip _was_ armed. He had a knife—and that knife was now embedded in his stomach.

How the hell did he not feel that immediately? How did he not see it?

His right hand reached out behind him in search for the wall. He had just barely brushed his hand against it before stumbling back further, his back crashing into it as he slowly allowed himself to slide down the wall opposite of Philip. Holy hell, it hurt to move. It hurt to breathe. Daryl figured that was what Philip's plan was all along, the sneaky bastard.

Part of him couldn't help but laugh. Hadn't he just said he wasn't going to die? And that it wasn't going to be at his hand?

Daryl looked over at Merle's body for a moment. He was glad he hadn't reanimated since he was too much of a pussy to shoot him. He switched his gaze over to Philip, staring for a moment to ensure that he was in fact dead. At least he did something right. He had stabbed him twice in the chest. Philip couldn't kill anyone else. Then he looked back down at the knife that protruded from his stomach. He thought about it for a moment, that maybe he could just pull it out. But he bit his lip and cursed to himself in his head. If he pulled the blade out, not only would it be that much more agonizing but he would most likely bleed to death without anything to staunch the blood.

Daryl threw his head back against the wall and shut his eyes momentarily, gritting his teeth and trying to shut out the pain. Just sitting there was pure agony, let alone brushing his fingers anywhere near it. But it was now or never…

He pulled the revolver from his back, gritting his teeth that much more from shifting to the left in order to reach behind himself. He opened the chamber and double checked on the number of bullets he had left, and he was right: three. He made sure it was loaded as he closed the chamber and sighed, raising a shaky arm and pointing it as steady as he could at Merle's head.

"Jus' you an' me now, Merle… You an' me…" Daryl whispered, closing his eyes as he pulled the trigger. The gun shot echoed off the walls and if things weren't bad enough, it made Daryl feel nauseous. But he knew he had to do it. It was literally now or never. If he was going to die, he couldn't wait for someone else to eventually find Merle or for walkers to chow down on him. He wanted to be the one. He didn't want someone to find Merle as a walker and have to put him down either. And hell, now that applied to Daryl too. What were his odds of getting out of this alive? The three shots he took earlier with those walkers and now the one he had shot at Merle. He had two bullets left, and as far as he was concerned, those bullets were for Philip and himself. He couldn't risk sitting there and waiting. It wouldn't be long before he'd lose consciousness. And who knows where the nearest walkers could be. Daryl wouldn't be able to defend himself if any did show up.

He rested his head back against the wall and shut his eyes, trying to shut out the images. He had one thing left to do.

* * *

Michonne had left Andrea and the others in search for the gunshots she kept hearing. For whatever reason, it made her curious. She had heard what she counted to be three immediate shots which were followed by a long pause before two more fired. Something didn't seem right.

She kept her eyes peeled for any sign of a threat, her katana drawn and gripped tightly in her hands. She was headed towards the gunshots to see what was going on. Like Andrea had pointed out, these people weren't stupid enough to use a gun on a walker. And if Woodbury's men were still somewhere hidden within these halls, it just seemed suspicious. Maybe not everyone had returned from the group. Maybe someone needed help.

It was when she had turned around the next corner that she stopped in her tracks. She seemed to be staring down the hall at a pile of dead bodies. She cautiously moved forward, unsure if any of them were walkers waiting for their next victim. But she recognized three of them beside the two men and three walkers. The first one was Philip, there was no denying that. And then Daryl and Merle. As she took a few more steps, she began to ask herself questions. What happened here? Were they all dead?

Michonne quickly realized the answer to her last question had to be a yes. There was a knife stuck in Philip's chest, as well as a bullet hole through his head. Merle looked to have been shot numerous times with an accompanying bullet hole in his head as well. But Daryl… Michonne was shocked to say the least. He had been stabbed himself. He must have been the one to kill Philip.

Realizing she was in no immediate harm, Michonne slid the katana back into the sheath on her back and sighed. What a mess.

She wasn't expecting any sort of noise, so when a slight moan seemed to escape from Daryl, she jumped. She stood there for a moment and stared at his motionless body, her fingers wrapped around the handle of her katana and ready to strike. But when she saw that he had his eyes shut tight and a look of a pain across his face, she realized he wasn't a walker—he was _alive_.

Michonne quickly ran to his side and bent down beside him. Her attention was immediately drawn to the knife in his stomach, blood soaking the surrounding area of his shirt. She reached over and grabbed the revolver from his right hand, his bloodied fingers sliding right off the grip. She carefully stuffed it in the back of her pants to accompany the pistol that she was carrying for back up.

"Daryl?... Can you hear me?" She stared at his face, waiting for any sign of response only to receive nothing. She pressed her fingers against the side of his neck and felt for a pulse, finding it almost instantly, coming to the conclusion that it was a little faster than usual.

She got back to her feet and moved to Philip's body now. She gritted her teeth in disgust as she yanked the knife from his chest, recognizing it to be Daryl's. She quickly wiped it down the best she could on her pant leg before moving back to Daryl. She bent down beside him once again, fumbling with the knife and managing to put it back into the sheath on his belt.

Of course, that's when she heard the familiar shuffles and growls approaching from behind her. She got back to her feet and pulled the katana out, readying herself. The walkers must have heard the gunshots too. She took a quick glance back at Daryl before she charged at the walkers, blowing through them with the katana slicing through like butter. There were only two, so it took no time at all to take them down and return to an injured Daryl.

Michonne folded her arms in front of her chest, contemplating on how she was going to get him back to C Block. She didn't have much of a choice and he'd just have to go along with her, no matter how uncomfortable or painful it would be. It was that or a death sentence, though he didn't look too well anyways.

Michonne grabbed Daryl's left arm and slid her right hand behind his back. She was then able to get his arm around the back of her neck as she did her best to heave him back up to his feet. She could feel his body tense, even though he was out cold. She struggled to keep a hold of him, doing her best to support the man by herself. He was a complete dead weight and a part of her wished he could just wake up long enough to help drag his own feet. It wasn't going to be an easy task, but she knew it was his only hope.

* * *

Everything had gone quiet now as they stood amongst each other in C Block. Hershel was perched on the stairs with Beth and Carol at his side, Beth cradling Judith. Tyreese and Andrea stood off to the side, Andrea speaking softly to Tyreese, being inaudible from where Rick stood with Carl by his side. Glenn had his back propped up against the wall between two cells with Maggie sitting between his legs and her back against his chest.

It seemed as though they had won the war. It was far too quiet and Rick could only assume that whoever was left from Woodbury, maybe they retreated. He had glanced out the barred window a little earlier just out of curiosity. There was one vehicle that still remained, smoke billowing out from the hood, as it had been penetrated with numerous bullets. The fence was destroyed and there were still a few walkers roaming about. It was rather upsetting, but nothing they couldn't eventually fix if they decided to stay.

They were lucky to come out of this war with Woodbury seemingly unscathed. Carol had been grazed by a bullet and that truly seemed to be the worst of the injuries, other than a few scratches and bruises. They had lost Axel, Ben, Allen, Sasha, and Merle… Even Oscar before it really all began. Tyreese had lost everyone he knew, and Rick couldn't help but wonder if the man regretted stumbling upon them and offering to help.

Rick sighed. He was just thankful that things didn't turn out any worse and their losses weren't higher.

He was staring down at the ground lost in thought when he realized the quiet chatter among everyone completely seized. When he heard a gasp escape from Carol, his head shot up and looked over at her. He realized that she, along with everyone else, had their eyes fixed on something as he followed their line of vision. And he could have sworn he felt his heart stop.

His hands were grasping for the keys at his belt, fumbling to free them as he ran for the door to unlock it. He could feel a couple other peoples' presence behind him as he threw the door open to allow Michonne in. He immediately took Daryl's other side as Glenn took Michonne's place, fully supporting an unconscious Daryl.

"Hershel—" Rick's voice sounded broken as he called out to the old man, even though Hershel was already up and on his foot, hobbling over with the crutches thumping against the pavement.

"Lay him down here. By the looks of it, I'm going to need all the room I can get..." Hershel instructed.

Rick and Glenn worked together to walk Daryl over to an open spot on the ground, carefully lowering him down and onto his back. Rick could hear the door shut with a creak behind them, Carl locking it back up. Rick took in the sight of Daryl, the blood on his hands, the knife protruding from his abdomen and the blood surrounding it, already drenching his shirt.

It was in that moment that Rick just seemed to tune everything out. What the hell happened? This was his fault. He let Daryl go off by himself, even though he told himself he should go after him. He didn't stop him. Instead, he stayed put with everyone else, in the safety of C Block.

"Carol, be a dear and bring me whatever we have left for medical supplies. I'll need everything we've got. This isn't looking to be a simple procedure." Hershel attempted to lower himself down to the ground, Andrea running to his side to aid him.

"I can make another run to the infirmary. There might still be some stuff down there that I didn't grab—" Carl quickly offered, but was shut down the minute he tried.

"No. No way," Glenn shook his head. "And end up like… like Daryl? It's best if you stay here."

The look on Carl's face suggested he was ready to argue but he stopped when there was a slight whimper that escaped from Daryl. Everyone turned to look at the man splayed out on the floor with utmost concern. He still appeared to be unconscious though, which was probably a good thing.

The more Rick watched and the more he thought about everything, the more he regretted. He should have stopped Daryl from taking off, and he didn't. He didn't want to lose him. He never told Daryl how much he appreciated him, all of his help. He had only given him a small thanks for helping out with Judith when he was out of his mind, but that was not nearly enough. Not for everything the man had done for the group. Daryl had provided them with food—fresh meat when he went hunting—and he had taught them what was and was not safe to consume in the wild. He had provided them with protection, warding off walkers and anything that posed a threat. He didn't get to say any of this. Just like he lost Lori, he thought there would be more time.

"I found him with Merle and the Governor. They're both dead," Michonne informed everyone. This took a few people by surprise and she made sure to catch the look on Andrea's face when she announced it. Andrea looked a little hurt, but over all unaffected.

Rick gave it some thought. The Governor was dead. That would be the fall of Woodbury. They had won. But Rick didn't want to win if it came with this cost. He would have rather given up the _entire prison_ before suffering through the loss of one more of their group. If he could take it all back and save _everyone's_ lives, he would.

Carol returned with everything that they had left medical wise and laid them down next to Hershel. Hershel thanked her as she offered a small nod, catching a quick glimpse at Daryl before she walked over to Rick. She must have seen it in his face, the tears in his eyes that were threatening to flow over. When he glanced down at her, he could see the tears in her eyes as well. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight, a small sob escaping from her as her body shook. They had already fallen apart and Rick had a feeling the worst had yet to come.

* * *

"I need some assistance. I'm going to need someone to hold him steady to make sure he doesn't injure himself further," Hershel dug through the supplies beside him. "One of you will need to find some sort of cloth, something to place in his mouth, if you will..." Maggie, Glenn, Andrea, and Tyreese all quickly stepped up beside him. Glenn and Andrea each held one of Daryl's arms and Tyreese secured his legs. Maggie frowned, realizing that she would be the one to practically gag him. She ran back to her cell, remembering that she had a small thin towel as she grabbed it and returned to her dad's side. It was only obvious what was going to be done and really, no one wanted to be a part in it. They wished there was an easier way.

Hershel steadied his hand on the knife, grasping it with all the strength he had and did his best to remove it in one swift tug. This had caused the reaction that Hershel had been waiting for as Daryl tried to thrash his arms and legs, turning his head from side to side, screaming and cussing. Maggie felt horrible trying to keep part of the towel shoved in his mouth to prevent him from grinding his teeth as it muffled his screams of pain.

Hershel tossed the bloody knife aside as he quickly worked to press some of the sterile gauze over the wound and apply pressure. Daryl's struggling came to an end and his head lolled to the side. Maggie removed the towel and stared down at Daryl's emotionless face. He was completely still and Maggie felt like her heart stopped.

"Dad?" Maggie's voice was shaky as she couldn't take her eyes off of Daryl's face.

"Is he…?" Glenn stared as well, not daring to say the word _dead_.

Hershel was busy working on the wound and doing everything that he could as he removed the gauze that was now saturated with blood and grabbed some new. "Maggie, help me soak up some of this blood. I can't see what I'm doing otherwise."

Maggie bit her lip and did as she was instructed, fighting back tears. She was having a hard time trying to keep composed but she knew she had to help. She wanted to help. She couldn't let Daryl die. She thought back to Merle, how he had saved her in the woods, and then saved her again with Daryl. She could see the vulnerable side of Daryl in the back of her mind, tears on his face. He looked much similar now in his unconscious state. With the scowl completely gone, he even seemed younger. His face seemed pale and lifeless—he looked like he was knocking on Death's front door. It completely tore at her heart.

Rick and Carol were completely beside themselves, at a loss for words and wiping at their faces. Carl removed the old Sheriff's hat and lowered his head, a couple tears traveling down his cheeks. Beth's bottom lip trembled as she tried to keep her distance, facing the wall and gently rocking Judith back and forth in her arms. Glenn ran his hands through his hair and exhaled, a nervous wreck. Andrea wiped at her face and let out a small sigh as Tyreese hung his head. There was physically nothing they could do at this point other than let Hershel work away and listen to him if he instructed something of them.

All they could do was hope, and wait.


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of The Walking Dead or its characters. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**NOTES:** Well, this is it folks. We have come to a close. Thank you for reading. To those of you who have messaged me and left reviews, I've enjoyed your company. And all you "silent readers". Thank you so much, guys! And to anybody who finds this after the fact, I would still love to hear from you!

I have to admit, I became kind of attached to this story. I found myself wanting to keep typing away at the keyboard to find out what happened next because believe it or not, some of this stuff just flowed into my head at the spur of the moment. So, I am a little sad to say this is the end…

WTFdoUwantNOW and MollyMayhem84 are THE best. And if you are looking for a good fanfic to read, I suggest checking them out!

* * *

It had been at least a few months now since the group had seen the walls of the prison, or what was left of it. It all seemed like a blur to try and think back about the events that had happened following up to the day they finally left. Even though they didn't get the chance to stay that long, it was heart breaking. It was heart breaking because it was a place that they could finally feel secure, a little safer than just laying out in the middle of the woods in tents. But it was also heart breaking for everything that _happened_ in that prison; the people they lost—their _family_.

And of course they had to move around a lot, constantly traveling to try and find a new place to stay. There were a few nights that they had to spend in the woods, a few nights where they stayed in a different house here and there. They had traveled through small towns and cities that had long been raided of supplies—Rick assumed from Woodbury. Hell, even Woodbury had gone to shambles. It seemed like there was nobody left. It seemed like there were hardly any supplies to be scavenged.

* * *

_Hershel leaned back, wiping the clean backside of his arm across his forehead. His hands up to a little past his wrists were red with blood. He had Daryl's shirt ripped away from where he was working, bloody gauze stuck to the surface of his stomach covering the wound._

"_H-How's he doing?" Rick ran a hand through his hair nervously as he stared down at Hershel, his other hand placed on his hip. He wasn't sure if he could handle much more bad news. But he had to know._

"_Well… It appears the knife did somehow miraculously avoid any major artery or vessel. That's the good news." Hershel stared down at Daryl as he replied._

"_And the bad news?" Glenn stared down at Daryl as well, still sitting by his side opposite of Hershel on the cold floor._

"_He's still bleeding pretty heavy and at this rate, if I can't at least slow it down..." Hershel paused. He took a deep breath and sighed, "If he pulls through this, he'll need antibiotics. Lord only knows what kind of infections he could get from that knife not to mention all of our hands. And he'd need more blood. Seeing as we're not equip to set up doing a blood transfusion and we have no idea what his blood type even is..."_

_Everyone stared at Hershel now, waiting for him to keep talking. Waiting for the good news. There _had_ to be good news. More than just those few words._

"_We'll be lucky if he even makes it through the night," Hershel lowered his head, regretting to inform everyone the likelihood of Daryl actually dying right there in front of them._

* * *

But just as they were about to give up all hope, they had found it.

It was a two-story house that sort of set back by itself. They were lucky to have stumbled upon it. Rick thought it was just sheer luck, perhaps even a miracle. They had spotted an old dirt road that was sprinkled with little bits of gravel, hinting that it was used at one point in time. It looked as though it hadn't been traveled since the outbreak.

There was a bit of moss and mildew just below a few windows on the first floor. The faded brown shingles still remained intact and were holding up against the abandonment and weather. They had checked the house, entering from the front door. Everything seemed stable and quiet, a big open area that could serve as a living room greeted them from the front door. There was a nice sized dining room and kitchen that veered off to the left and a hallway and staircase that led upstairs straight ahead. They headed up the stairs and quickly found two bathrooms and four decent sized bedrooms, apart from the little sitting area that overlooked the first floor. As they headed back downstairs and through the kitchen, they realized there were stairs that led to the basement. There they had found a laundry room and a nice rec room with a built in bar.

There was a garage not too far from the house, just down the hill. Of course, it looked like it had seen better days. The shed on the side of the house seemed fairly stable and in better shape. There was a place they could start a garden, almost like a greenhouse out back. There was also a small creek bed that wrapped around the side of the house and flowed into the lake through the trees behind the two-story.

There were only a few bodies that had been in the house, dead and slightly decayed, which they took care of. The house wasn't in too bad of shape and it was assumed that the dead bodies were the previous tenants of the house. This house hadn't been touched since the world went to shit, and the previous owners must have croaked soon after. There were still some supplies left that they could use—some food, plenty of blankets, some spare clothes, etc. Then they stumbled upon the generator just outside the basement door. Everyone had gotten quite a kick out of that, knowing that meant they could have electricity. And it appeared to be solar powered at that.

* * *

_It felt like hours before Hershel had declared Daryl's wound secure. It was at that point that they decided to get him up and onto a more comfortable surface, one of the beds in a cell close by. Rick and Glenn had carefully transported him with the guidance of the others. Hershel had been afraid that by simply moving him, it would have started the bleeding again. He was shocked when he found out that it didn't._

_Hershel claimed there was nothing more he could do until Daryl could heal a little more. He had mentioned something about losing too much blood if he attempted to do anything else— that much Rick understood. And once they had Daryl settled on the bed, still completely out cold, Rick wondered if he would ever open his eyes again._

_As the time passed and all was quiet from outside of that cell block, they decided to try and get some rest. They agreed to take shifts in watching Daryl and that if anything was to happen, whoever was on watch would call out for Hershel. _

_Rick took the first watch as he stared down at Daryl's motionless, pale body. He sighed as he silently prayed in his head that he would come out of this okay. He switched his gaze to Daryl's right wrist and couldn't help but frown. It had been Carl's idea to handcuff him to the bed as a precaution, much like Rick had suggested for Hershel when he cut the man's leg off just below the knee. It didn't seem right in either situation and Rick truly didn't know what he would do if Daryl just woke up as one of _those_._

_Unfortunately, Rick was fighting sleep the best he could. He was exhausted from all of the fighting, running, and worrying. He hadn't noticed when he dozed off slightly until he heard a faint _clang_ of metal on metal. His heavy eyes shot open as he directed his attention to Daryl's arm. The clang had been from him just barely moving his arm, just enough for the handcuff to hit against the metal pole that it was attached to. _

_Rick stared at his face for a moment as he could tell he had it scrunched in pain. He felt hopeful. That had to be a good sign, right? Daryl seemed like he was going to wake up. But then the thoughts flooded his mind—what if it wasn't good? If Daryl woke up now, how much pain would he be in? Rick was torn between wanting him to wake up and wanting him to stay knocked out until they could manage to do something to help him. _

_Daryl's head slightly tossed back and forth, his eyes shut tight. He looked as though he were fighting something. His breathing picked up, being completely audible to Rick, as he blurted out "Merle" just under his breath. _

_Rick had another internal war with himself, biting his lip. Daryl was calling out for Merle. He didn't know whether to interpret that as good or bad with the pained expression. Part of him wanted to try and wake him in case it was a bad dream. Though Merle was really gone this time._

_But it didn't last long because Daryl had completely returned to his motionless state, his breathing rate quickly dropping with it. Rick sat up and stared at the man's chest, looking for it to rise and fall with each breath. He couldn't quite tell until he had actually placed his hand over Daryl's chest and physically felt the slow motion of his breathing. Rick kept his hand there for a moment and sighed in relief before sitting back again._

* * *

As much as they loved having the new house and all the new things that came with it, a new sense of belonging and safeness… They still enjoyed the way they had been. Living by candle light, sitting out by a fire at night, the small things in life. Enjoying each other's company. After everything, they had become much closer. Over the time they had spent together, over all the losses they encountered, they became closer. They truly felt like one big—and maybe sometimes slightly dysfunctional—family.

* * *

_Rick stared down at the fresh graves that had just dug up earlier that day. They belonged to everyone that they had lost in the war against Woodbury. There were way too many for Rick's liking and just at the thought alone, he felt like he could just collapse until he couldn't feel anymore, until the pain just washed away and he was numb. They had fought off all the walkers that they could. It had been a fairly easy task, but tiresome. But they had all worked together to get the job done. Bury the ones we love, burn the rest… Rick was just thankful the burn pile was much higher._

* * *

It had been at least a couple weeks since they stumbled upon the house, and they had spent a lot of that time trying to get everything cleaned up and moved in. They were getting settled in.

And this was the first day that they could truly just sit back and reel in the beauty of it all—enjoy what they still had.

Rick caressed Judith's small head as he looked out at everyone from the back porch, smiling while Judith let out a few coos. Hershel sat by his side and exchanged a smile with him. They were both enjoying the view, watching their family interact as though nothing had ever happened, like they had all grown up together and this was just another one of those bad family barbeques you were forced to go to.

The sun was setting, casting a great red glow across the horizon. It was something that Rick could appreciate only that much more now. Something that he wouldn't have even paid much attention to before the outbreak. It was funny how things worked like that. As many times as his life had been threatened over the past year and a half, two years, it made him greatly appreciate all the small things.

Rick stared out at the lake as it reflected the red glow in the ripples. Maggie and Glenn were sitting on the dock with their feet dangling in the water, their laughs able to be heard from where Rick sat with Hershel and Judith. That alone was enough to make him smile, seeing and hearing their happiness. Andrea sat with Michonne in the grass as they watched the others, getting a good laugh out of them. Though Rick had to admit, it was that same scene that they were watching that made Rick grin the widest.

Daryl appeared to be goofing around with Carl and Beth. At first, it looked like he was trying to show Carl how to use the crossbow. Carl looked a bit goofy holding the large weapon, but he was almost grown into it, his arms just about the right length. Daryl even smiled at Carl's attempts before he took the crossbow back from him. Then he smashed Carl and Beth together, grabbing each of one of their arms and throwing it around the other. This got a laugh from Andrea and Daryl, a smirk from Michonne, as Beth and Carl grew red in the face immediately and took a couple steps back away from each other. Carl stuck his tongue out at Daryl and Daryl had returned the gesture. Beth giggled and slid her hand into Carl's, making him blush once more, before they ran along and joined Glenn and Maggie.

They had stayed at the prison for as long as they could really, after Daryl was injured. They didn't know if he was going to make it or not, and if he was, they couldn't risk jostling him around too much trying to get to the vehicles and load up to leave. They managed to stay for probably close to two weeks. It gave Daryl a little bit of time to recuperate—though not much—and it gave them time to bury their loved ones (or at least make a grave site for them). It was the least they could do and it was gruesome enough trying to take out the walkers just to even maneuver around. But they had managed, and here they were.

"Dinner should be ready shortly," Carol poked around from the doorway. Tyreese was by her side.

"Okay, I'll make sure to let the 'children' know," Rick nodded, smiling.

Carol looked out at everyone and smiled as well. "It's good to see everyone like this. It makes us all feel a little younger on the inside."

"How's the new cooking partner, Carol?" Hershel looked to Carol with a slight twinkle in his eye.

"Tyreese is wonderful," Carol placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm just picking up a few tips. Ya know," Tyreese shrugged.

"Don't be embarrassed to be a man in the kitchen. You'd be shocked at how many women find that attractive," Hershel suggested.

Carol and Tyreese only nodded and stood in silence as they watched everyone else for a moment. Rick shifted in his seat and held Judith out in front of him, slightly bouncing her up and down on his legs. He smiled as she stuck her fingers into her mouth and gurgled, her big blue eyes shining back at him. _His_ baby girl.

"Should probably feed her soon too," Rick thought out loud. "And I want to make sure we get the fire set up and going before the sun goes down completely. We can't break our tradition this early on."

Since they had found the house, they agreed to make a campfire every night. It was something that they had always done when they traveled from place to place until they reached the prison. And now that they had finally found this house, they wanted to bring back the tradition of having a fire, a time that everyone could sit around and enjoy each other's company, even if nobody said a word. It was everyone's presence that mattered.

"Hey, if yer settin' the fire up," Daryl took a quick jog up the few stairs before stopped in front of Rick on the back porch, his arms outstretched.

Rick couldn't help but smile once more, "You're wanting to take Judith?"

"Well, yeah. Kid's gotta have some time with her uncle, too." Daryl took the six month old from Rick once he got back to his feet. "Ain't that right, sweetheart?"

"Is this the reaction I missed at the prison?" Rick questioned, folding his arms. "Because if so, I didn't believe any of you until now." He recalled when he was still dealing with the loss of Lori, how the others had told him what Daryl had done with Judith: He nicknamed her 'Little Ass Kicker' and he had held her with a bottle calling her sweet names. Rick honestly didn't think the man had it in him, but Daryl seemed to surprise him more often than not. In a good way. He was glad he made a full recovery because he wasn't sure if he could have taken the loss of Daryl too well. The man had become a good friend of Rick's: his second-hand man, a leader—even though Daryl would refuse the role of leadership, the hunter. And Uncle Daryl to Judith, and Carl.

Rick watched as Daryl held his daughter, his scared hands the most gentle he had ever seen them as he had Judith cradled against his chest, wiggling a finger just under her chin. As he walked away from them to get the firewood together, he noticed they all looked like a picture perfect moment. Carol, Tyreese, Daryl, Judith, and Hershel. They were all so content and _smiling_.

It just felt so right.

* * *

**I apologize if the ending to this is a bit cheesy. And I am by no means a medical professional, so if I made errors, I apologize once again. And I'm sorry this one is so short... I was trying to hold you all in suspense with Daryl if you couldn't tell. In doing so, I might have made this chapter a bit choppy… :/ If I left some questions unanswered, shoot me a PM. My brain is so scrambled right now I'm not sure if there's something I forgot or not. I will admit that part of me is not very satisfied with this chapter and there is a small chance that I could end up rewriting it? **

**I'm hoping to think up some more ideas and get started on another fic, but it may be a while. If you have any ideas you'd like to share, hit me up. Maybe something you'd like to see that you haven't been able to find on this site yet. Even a possible one-shot. Let me know. **

_**I set up a poll on my profile if you're that afraid to talk to me. ;)**_

**Thank you! You guys make me all happy and giggly with the reviews, and the follows, and the favorites! It gives me a little more confidence, haha. But seriously though! Love you all! xoxo**


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